Hungarian Competition Authority Fines Booking.com HUF 2.5 Billion

  • 29 Apr 2020 9:45 AM
  • Hungary Around the Clock
Hungarian Competition Authority Fines Booking.com HUF 2.5 Billion
Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has issued a fine of HUF 2.5 billion to Dutch company Booking.com BV, which operates international accommodation booking platform booking.com, the competition authority announced on Tuesday.

GVH also banned the company’s aggressive sales activities.

Booking.com conducted unfair commercial behaviour when it gave incomplete information on the free cancellation of bookings and put clients under psychological stress by misleadingly imposing time pressure on their choices.

Free cancellations were not really free as those bookings cost more than ordinary ones, GVH found.

The ruling fits into the policy of the European Commission and its Consumer Protection Co-operation (CPC), Portfolio highlights.

In December last year, Booking.com promised to change its commercial behaviour to comply with EU rules.

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