They are being reported by consumer protection organizations for "disregarding the star entry in the telephone directory", as Allianz announced on Tuesday according to SDA. Groupe Mutuel is accused of the most violations.
The consumer protection organizations also pillory providers of car trips, wine merchants and business directories. They are accused of "promises of profit linked to financial consideration", prohibited "snowball, pyramid or avalanche schemes" or "unwanted entries in business directories".
Since 1 April, the consumer protection organizations have been working with the
The revised Act against Unfair Competition (UCA) has given them an instrument to take systematic action against unfair business practices. Since then, they have received a total of over 2,000 complaints regarding unfair business practices.
business practices.
Deterrent fines
These are sufficient reports to file criminal charges with the relevant cantonal public prosecutors, writes Allianz. It calls on the enforcement authorities to "examine the complaints submitted in detail and impose appropriate sanctions on the companies concerned". The consumer protection organizations are hoping for high fines with a deterrent effect.
The amended UWG prohibits bait-and-switch offers and makes address book scams more difficult. In future, offers for an entry in an address book - such as a company register - must always state in capital letters that they are subject to a charge. In addition, measures have been taken to combat promises of prizes linked to promotional trips or an obligation to buy. The UWG also restricts telephone marketing. For example, companies act unfairly if they call a person for advertising purposes who indicates in the telephone directory with an asterisk that they do not wish to receive advertising. A new addition to the UWG is the ban on pyramid schemes. This was previously set out in an ordinance to the Lotteries Act.
However, the new rules for general terms and conditions (GTC) will not apply until July 1, 2012. The Federal Council wants to give companies one year to review their GTC and adapt them if necessary.
SDV members have nothing to fear
The members of the SDV Swiss Dialog Marketing Association have nothing to fear, as the association wrote in a press release on Tuesday. There are said to be no complaints against its members. According to the press release, the reason for this is that SDV members have consistently taken into account the star entries in the telephone directory since the introduction of the telemarketing code of honor in 2008. SDV members only contact consumers with a star entry if a customer relationship exists with them and can be verified. The position paper prepared exclusively for SDV members on the interpretation of the new article of the law also provided members with groundbreaking support in its implementation and had a positive impact on the balance sheet.