ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority said on Wednesday it had fined eDreams 9 million euros ($10.65 million) for unfair commercial practices, accusing the Spanish online travel agency
Italy Fines eDreams $10.7 Million for Misleading Subscription Tactics
eDreams Fined by Italy's Competition Authority
ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Spanish online travel agency group eDreams has been fined 9 million euros ($10.65 million) by Italy's competition authority (AGCM) over its promotion of membership subscriptions, the watchdog said on Wednesday.
Allegations of Manipulative Tactics
The regulator said the group's companies employed manipulative digital tactics, known as dark patterns, to pressure consumers into subscribing to and maintaining its prime service.
The company did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Regulatory Response and Company Reaction
The AGCM said eDreams misrepresented the actual value of discounts and failed to provide transparent pricing differences based on user access methods and deployed retention tactics that obstructed customers seeking to cancel prime memberships.
($1 = 0.8452 euros)
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Cristina CarlevaroAdditional reporting by David Latona in MadridEditing by David Goodman)
