comparison portals on the Internet may continue to provide insurance. but you need their customers clearly indicates that they act as a broker and get a commission for their services. The decision now that the Landgericht München in a test case against Germany’s largest Vergleichsportal Check24.
The plaintiff was the Federal Association of German Insurance (BVK), which represents 11,000 brokers. He threw Check24 against unfair competition. The association was bothered that Check24 presented to visitors of the website as a service that provides information in rankings on the best insurance rates, but actually collects a commission when the portal a contract is concluded.
In the point the judge the lawsuit gave instead. Check24 must inform openly about their own role as an insurance broker, not only over a button that says “first information” in the footer of the website. This information must “be presented so that it does not have to look for it,” the user said the court (Az. 37 O 15268/15).
They lure with supposedly neutral Compare
BVK President Michael Heinz told the verdict to “victory for consumer protection”. Consumer protection should however only have been a motive for the action of the BVK. Comparison portals like Check24, Verivox and Preis24 make classical agents are increasingly the business dispute. The online portals lure million customers with the promise of a neutral price comparison in seconds.
This is no longer just for financial products such as insurance and per diem. Also phone rates, holidays and electricity rates are compared in this way.
The development of portals was therefore observed increasingly suspicious in recent years. The Federal Association of German insurance brokers accused the company of misleading consumers against: Check24 Tarne as price comparison portal – but work like a broker. At first glance, the customer might not recognize.
many consumers are likely to worry, in fact, over the business model of comparison portals. The ranking creators usually have concluded contracts with companies whose products they compare and offer. For each customer, the provides a portal, these companies then have to pay commission. The amount of commission should be up to 100 euros per contract, for example in motor vehicle liability.
The websites do not provide sufficient information
the Presiding judge Barbara Clementi had already pointed out during the trial that Check24 insufficient obviously inform visitors of the site about the broker role.
a lack of individual counseling but do not give it. The is ensured by the input mask and based on this comparison results. “Anyone looking on the Internet, has its focus on the price and know that the advice is not the same intensity fails,” she said.
Where the court in its judgment now also made it clear that does not comply with Check24 sufficient in some cases its advisory obligation. As examples, the Court indicated that must be queried at a liability insurance, the extent to which users volunteer of assessment, as this would only partially covered by the insurance
Check24 CEO Christoph Röttele looks the business model by the judgment not endangered. “With today’s ruling, we are satisfied,” he said.
Check24, founded 17 years ago by former employees of the management consultancy Bain, has by far the largest portal developed. At its headquarters in Munich, near the train station, more office floors were rented from year to year. Throughout Germany, the company employs around 1,000 people.
Have the commissions really no impact?
More and more consumers use the services, the contracts can be from domestic sofa from complete. In fiscal year 2014/15, the commission income already summed at Check24 to 330 million euros – an increase of 60 percent. are no figures for the end of March ended fiscal 2015/2016. However, it is assumed that Check24 significantly exceeded the 400-million-euro mark. Detail makes a profit, the company is not.
The fact that the amount of commission payments will affect the rankings, you vehemently denies at Check24. A disclosure, as required by consumer advocates and some politicians, the Company disclaims, however. The law does not see it before, and was not typical in business.
No insurance, no car dealer, not a travel agent do it. Moreover, there are not with the parties, ie the providers of various contracts, clear agreements, payments disclosed.
How is the comparison portals actually always show the lowest rates is controversial. A study of several consumer organizations came in the spring to the conclusion that this is not always the case, the benefits of Onlinebuchungs- and comparison portals is therefore limited for consumers. Some of the consumer protection agency found on the websites of the individual providers lower prices than through the portals.
Some fees are not included
against these study results is defended Check24 and threw the consumer centers reversed dirty work ahead. So they had used in their investigation of loss-leader pricing provider in telephone tariffs, for example, benefits for the first months of the contract period. This does not help further the customer, argued the comparison portal, for him the price for the comparison duration was vital.
For air travel, consumer advocates have individual fees such for card payments, not counting and had therefore come to other, supposedly lower prices, it is from Munich.
In Check24 will not rule out that it is therefore attacked because online comparison portals are not only the business model of classical brokers, but also the consumer associations in question.
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