Car valuation sites have been a recurring problem for Swedish consumers for several years.
New sites are popping up, and many consumers do not perceive that the services cost thousands of kronor.
SVT has previously reported on several different sites and companies, which have made customers feel threatened to pay for something they did not want to pay for.
New sites this year
In 2022, two new sites have appeared and collected a total of 699 reports and complaints to the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Bilregnr.eu and bildata.nu are run by the Latvian company Capitalink SIA and the sites have a very similar appearance to several previously criticized car valuation sites.
- We can also see from the reports that consumers have had problems exercising their right of withdrawal and that the car valuation as such is deficient, says Charlotte Söderlund.
The Swedish Consumer Agency has now handed over the case to Latvian consumer authorities and has requested that they act against the company.
"Cat and rat play"
The Swedish Consumer Agency does not currently know if it is the same people who were behind the old sites who also run the new ones.
But even in the past, the tracks have in some cases led to Latvia.
- We note that car valuation sites return year after year, but in different guises.
It will be a cat-and-mouse game, because we have to act against each individual company, says Charlotte Söderlund.
- It is not illegal to run a car valuation site, but it must be clear whether the service costs money or not.
And there we see big problems.
Changing web pages
SVT has searched for Capitalink SIA on several occasions, without receiving any answer.
The sites have been updated several times with some clarifications about what the service costs, most recently after SVT started seeking contact with the company.