In its meeting on 27 September 2017, the Italian Competition Authority (“ICA”) accepted the commitments presented by Whirlpool (Indesit, Ariston, Ignis and Whirlpool, Bauknecht, Kitchen Aid, Scholtes and Whirlpool brands), Candy Hoover (Candy, Hoover and Zerowatt brands) and Electrolux (Aeg, Electrolux, Rex, Zanussi and Zoppas brands), thus closing three investigations launched in March 2017 for the methods of providing home assistance through Technical Service Centres in response to requests for works and repairs covered by the legal guarantee on large household appliances sold by third parties (e.g. large retailers and specialist shops).

The subject of the proceedings, initiated following complaints and acquisitions ex officio, was the request of 30 euros for each work or repair covered by the legal guarantee (first two years) carried out 6 months after product delivery, the exclusion of some product parts from the guarantee service and the use of a premium-rate telephone number to request the service.
Moreover, for the Whirlpool group only, there were limitations on how to exercise the right of withdrawal from the sales of accessories on the company’s online shop and deceptive ways of advertising the sale of additional assistance services for up to 5 years.

Whirlpool, Candy Hoover and Electrolux have committed to the following:
a) no longer require the payment of any call-out charge for works and repairs covered by the legal guarantee, including after the first 6 months from product delivery;
b) not exclude any part of the products from the legal guarantee of conformity, even when these parts are subject to wear and tear;
c) not to use premium-rate telephone numbers for requests by consumers.
These commitments are aimed at ensuring the exercise of the rights granted to the consumer by the Consumer Code, including that of legal assistance on compliance, through clear and understandable consumer information, so as to exclude the possibility that consumers may be misled about the methods to be followed in order to use their right to legal guarantee in the 24 months following the purchase, without charges and without limitations on the coverage of all product parts and components.

Each of the parties has also committed to adopting specific ways of conveying information on the recognition of these rights and to recognising specific compensatory measures in favour of consumers from whom they had requested payment for the call-out charge.

Rome, 16 October 2017