AGCM

PRESS RELEASE

DATING SITES: A 350,000 EURO FINE IMPOSED ON "EDATES" AND COMMITMENTS FOR ANOTHER TWO

The ICA has imposed a EUR 350,000 fine on “Edates” for unfair commercial practices. "Edates" is a site for personal encounters among adults managed in Italian by the German company "Be Beauty GmbH". The ICA’s preliminary investigation was launched following numerous reports from users and the associations Codacons and “Nero su Bianco” for violations of the Consumer Code. In another two cases, the Authority accepted the commitments submitted by Interdate for "C-date.it" and Meetic for "Meetic.it", obliging the companies to provide transparency and clarity in the information offered as regards the conditions for registering to the site, the terms for the automatic renewal of the registration and the difficulties in cancelling registration.

The fine imposed on "Edates" was divided as follows: EUR 125,000 for misleading and omissive practices, EUR 175,000 for aggressive practices and EUR 50,000 for the behaviour infringing regulations on "consumer rights". In particular, the Authority found the information concerning the characteristics of the service advertised misleading. In fact, following the free registration to the site, or the two-week try-out subscription offered at EUR 4.90, consumers "unknowingly found themselves bound to a six-month premium subscription at a cost of EUR 19 a week (for a total of EUR 76 a month and therefore, a total payment of approximately EUR 500)".

Moreover, the ICA’s preliminary investigations identified obstacles in exercising contractual rights, since it was difficult to find on the website the information necessary for unsubscribing or rescinding the contract correctly and promptly. The aggressiveness of the practice was identified also in the fact that the operator sent users repeated reminders for payment warning very frequently that non-payment would result in the recourse to debt collection companies. Finally, in many cases, the operator made direct withdrawals from consumers’ credit cards provided upon registration.

With regard to the other two sites, the company that manages "C-date.it" committed to specify which services are available free of charge and which are for a fee, thus making all other conditions clearer to users. "Meetic.it" committed, in particular, to eliminate rescission difficulties. For both companies, the ICA considered the measures appropriate to "remedy the possible profiles of illegal commercial practices" charged in the preliminary investigation.

Rome, 22 July 2016