Wizz Air is under the scrutiny of UOKiK. this is a hotline

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (OCCA) draws the attention of people who call the hotline to get information, for example, about a bus delay or a canceled flight, to check the cost of a connection. In a distributed communique, the Office recalls that from the beginning of this year, carriers providing a hotline for communication under a concluded contract cannot freely set the connection price. According to Art. 11 of the Consumer Rights Act, it cannot cost more than a regular phone call on your carrier package.

WOKiK checks Wizz Air

In the meantime, OOCK received signals that not all operators have adapted to the changes. One consumer who is a Wizz Air customer stated in the notice that “the only REAL form of urgent contact for passengers from Poland (as in the event of a flight cancellation) is through the helpline, which costs an outrageous PLN 4.92 per person. minute. Considering the waiting time of the call center operator, we can safely assume that such a fee will be more than the cost of the purchased flight.”

“From the beginning of the year, consumers can no longer incur surcharges when they need to contact a carrier about a contract they have concluded—a purchased ticket, details of a departure location, a delay, a ticket change, or the destruction of luggage. On the basis of consumer signals, as well as our own monitoring of websites, we are conducting two explanatory proceedings in which we consider the costs of telephone calls to entrepreneurs involved in passenger transportation and ticket sales - emphasizes Tomasz Chrostny, president of UOKiK.

The first investigation into the Wizz Air Hungary case is currently underway. The cost of the hotline for Polish consumers is PLN 4.92 per minute. According to the communiqué of the WOCC, the entrepreneur did not change this, despite two calls from the Office. Production is under review.

The second explanatory proceeding is a comprehensive analysis of the cost of hotlines provided by passenger carriers, intermediaries and Internet sites through which it is possible to conclude a contract for passenger transportation. During the proceedings, we asked for explanations from 30 entrepreneurs who report an increase in hotline fees or indicate a phone number on the site without information about the connection cost. These include 4 airlines, 16 bus carriers and 10 intermediaries selling air, bus or train tickets. If additional complaints are received or violations are found on the websites of other entrepreneurs, the proceedings will be extended to a larger number of entities.

“We hope to abide by the rules and refund unreasonably charged fees to consumers. Otherwise, we do not exclude the filing of charges and the issuance of decisions that may entail financial sanctions, as well as an order to eliminate the consequences of the identified violations - emphasizes the head of the UOKiK.

The office is also investigating other issues with the Wizz Air line that were reported in consumer complaints during the investigations. So far, all of these proceedings are on the case, not against the entrepreneur, and are aimed at determining whether there has been a violation that justifies accusing the company of violating the collective interests of consumers or using prohibited provisions. The ongoing explanatory proceedings against Wizz Air Hungary concern:

• the obligation to provide legible information about the lowest price of the service that was valid in the period of 30 days before the introduction of the discount in a situation where the company announces price promotions,

• cancellation of tickets purchased under the birthday promotion and their return policy,

• rules for refunding tickets in case of flight cancellation,

• the terms of the “Flexible Travel Companion” service,

• Complaint procedures for destroyed or damaged luggage – in this case we are also looking at PS Services activities that Wizz Air refers consumers to.

The customer has the right to demand a refund

UOKiK emphasizes that in a situation where the carrier violates the law and charges an increased fee for the call in relation to the concluded contract, the consumer can file a complaint and demand a refund of the overcharged money for the call. – You can take advantage of the free assistance of the municipal or county consumer protection commissioner, and in cross-border cases, the support of the European Consumer Protection Center operating in the UKC – emphasizes WOKiK.