Paris (AFP)
The consumer association UFC-Que Choisir announced on Monday that it had attacked the online tour operator Lastminute in court, accused of selling illicit insurance without the knowledge of its customers.
"The association has seized the judicial court of Paris so that this practice which brings back several million euros per year to Lastminute stops, is judged aggressive and misleading and that the operator is sanctioned", indicates the association in a press release.
"For a few months, when consumers did not initially choose insurance, the tour operator has shown, after the validation of the payment method, a pop-up window which diverts consumers' attention and makes them take out insurance. more expensive without realizing it, "ensures Que Choisir who" denounces this simple but terribly effective marketing trap ".
In early November, the British daily The Times calculated that this process could generate six million pounds of additional revenue if a quarter of customers of Lastminute, which sells more than a million flights and stays per year in the United Kingdom , subscribed, voluntarily or not, to the insurance offered.
"The association recommends to consumers the greatest vigilance vis-à-vis the professional who presents himself as the + leader in the online travel and leisure industry +", recommends by way of conclusion the UFC-Que Choisir.
AFP asked Monday morning for a reaction, Lastminute, majority owned by the unlisted company Freesailors Coöperatief UA based in the Netherlands, did not respond immediately.
© 2020 AFP