Websites selling electronic vignettes online charge additional intermediary fees, and some of them appear to be official platforms. The European Consumer Centre has warned about this, having received more than 50 complaints in recent months against three or four such websites.
The platforms are registered in various European Union countries. Some appear among the top Google results as paid advertisements, which may mislead drivers looking for a vignette quickly when travelling abroad.
Dido Iliev from Ruse often travels to Romania. When searching for a vignette online, he has repeatedly come across intermediary websites.
“When I click on it and need a one-day vignette or one for a shorter period priced at 5 euros, the invoice shows that the vignette itself costs around 3 euros, while the rest—up to 5 euros—consists of fees,” Iliev explains.
Borislav Kolev’s family had a similar experience. While travelling, they realised that they had not bought a vignette, and his wife made the purchase online before they reached the motorway. After making the payment, they found out that 75 euros had been withdrawn from their bank card instead of around 50 euros.
The family disputed the transaction through their bank and managed to get their money back.
“It is important for people to be proactive and stand up for their rights, rather than simply letting such things slide,” Kolev says.
Sonya Spasova, director of the European Consumer Centre, explains that charging a fee for an intermediary service is legal in itself. The problem is that consumers may not realise in time that they are buying the vignette from an intermediary and may fail to see the actual final price.
“My appeal is for consumers not to rush when buying such vignettes, but to check who they are buying from and, accordingly, at what price. The fee charged for an intermediary service is legal, but it increases the cost of the service,” Spasova says.
Drivers are advised to check who is behind the website before making a payment and to compare the final amount with the price on the official platform. Because of such cases, some consumers buy vignettes only from trusted sources or directly from petrol stations.
Source: nova.bg