Fair consumer contracts: Problems with cancellation buttons – experts denounce website violations

Mit dem Gesetz für faire Verbraucherverträge, das Dauerschuldverhältnisse betrifft, sollen Verbraucher in der Lage sein, Verträge einfacher zu kündigen. Ähnlich wie bei dem „Jetzt kaufen“ Button soll ein Kündigungsbutton verhindern, dass Verbraucher nicht wissen, wie sie Verträge kündigen sollen. Diese Regelung betrifft alle Unternehmen, die Verbrauchern über eine Webseite ermöglichen, einen Vertrag im elektronischen Geschäftsverkehr abzuschließen und bei dem ein Dauerschuldverhältnis besteht. Dies betrifft beispielsweise Zeitschriftenabonnements, Fitnessstudio- und Streamingdiensteverträge.

Review of 840 websites

When checking 840 websites, the consumer advice center found that many website operators had not implemented the requirements properly, as Tagesschau reported. On 349 pages the cancel button was completely missing, on over 100 pages the button was either hidden or incorrectly labeled. Further violations were found on 339 websites. Only 273 sites had the button properly integrated. The head of the market and law department at the Bavarian Consumer Center, Tatjana Hahn, regrets that the change in the law is not being implemented correctly by so many websites. She hopes that all affected pages will be improved as quickly as possible.

First progress

Initial progress has already been noted. At the beginning of November, 86 of the website operators who had been warned submitted a cease-and-desist declaration, according to the consumer advice center. In some cases there will likely be court hearings. It has also been reported that companies that have not received warnings have voluntarily improved their websites. The consumer advice center will continue to monitor the situation and issue further warnings if necessary.