Italy’s Antitrust Authority has fined online travel agency eDreams nine million euros for engaging in two unfair commercial practices, it said on Wednesday.
The Authority said the practices involved “visual and emotional persuasion in the digital environment” using manipulative techniques known as dark patterns.
“The Authority found that, in offering flights and accommodation through their website and app, the eDreams companies used misleading claims and undue influence techniques, including manipulative strategies, to induce consumers – sometimes unknowingly – to subscribe to their Prime service,” it said.
According to the watchdog, eDreams provided unclear and ambiguous information about the Prime subscription in order to steer users towards signing up.
“To this end, eDreams provided ambiguous information about the features and benefits of the Prime subscription, and relied on time-pressure techniques and artificial scarcity to rush purchasing decisions and steer consumers towards subscribing to Prime,” the Authority said.
Misleading claims related to discounts
The investigation also identified misleading claims related to discounts offered under the subscription scheme.
“The Authority also identified misleading claims about subscription discounts and a lack of transparency regarding the existence of price differences depending on whether users accessed the eDreams website directly or via metasearch engines, as well as on their Prime subscription status,” it said.
The watchdog added that consumers’ freedom of choice was further undermined by the way subscription options were presented online. “Consumers’ freedom of choice was further compromised by the fact that eDreams preselected the most expensive subscription option, namely Prime Plus,” the Authority said.
It also criticised the handling of free trial offers, saying some users were charged despite not being eligible. “In addition, users who were not eligible for the free trial were nonetheless steered towards it and then immediately charged the annual subscription fee, without adequate prior notification,” the Authority said.
The Authority said the combined practices distorted consumer decision-making and breached rules designed to protect users in digital markets.
