The new rules ensure that shops must always state the reference price with their purchases from the end of May. That is the lowest price posted by the seller during the 30 day period prior to the discount.
In addition, there will be an explicit ban on false reviews. That means companies are no longer allowed to publish reviews without taking “reasonable and proportionate” steps to verify that they come from real consumers. Changes are also planned for online marketplaces. From now on, consumers must be able to make a clear distinction between private sellers or companies by means of an additional information obligation.
In addition, the new directive extends consumer rights with regard to e-commerce. For example, as of today, consumers can also rely on the same rights as for paid digital services for digital services for which they have to provide their personal data instead of paying for it. In concrete terms, this concerns, for example, social media and so-called “free” cloud applications, where users are regarded as consumers when they have to provide their personal data in exchange for access to those digital services.