Month: May 2014

(Partial report of 1st quarter of 2014)(Prague, May 27, 2014) Already before the start of the touristic season, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority began to monitor offers of services of tour operators and travel agencies. When inspectors detected shortcomings concerning information obligations, they launched inspections. Results of these inspections, consisting also of investigations of consumers’ queries from the first quarter of 2014, again proved that clients’ problems still repeat. Inspectors detected one or more violations of obligations...

(Partial report of 1st quarter of 2014)(Prague, May 22, 2014) Offering and selling goods within special offers and clearance sales as well as services with various price advantages are continuously monitored and inspected by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority. Results of these inspections from 1st quarter 2014 again proved that within sale of discounted products legal regulations are still being violated – especially the Act on Consumer Protection. Inspectors detected shortcomings in 401 of 1,051 inspections. In almost half of the cases selle...

(Monitoring of fuel quality in April 2014) (Prague, May 20, 2014) Inspections of fuel continued in compliance with the schedule in April 2014. The total of 15 of 243 collected fuel samples – 6.2% - failed which was the worst result from December, 2011, when 7.4% of samples were noncompliant. The reason for such result was higher number of poor quality LPG samples. Based on shortcomings detected in LPG samples in March, the CTIA increasingly focused its attention on this fuel type. Laboratory analysis proved the suspicion: in 10 of 37 collected ...

(Ústí nad Labem/Prague, May 15, 2014) The amendment of the Act on Consumer Protection imposed new information obligations on companies organising sales demonstration events. However, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority most frequently finds out failures to meet these obligations or avoidance of the rule. Some companies fail not only to meet the obligation to announce organized events, but also fail to provide consumers with sales contracts regarding the purchases. As the CTIA found out, the reason is that these companies are not registered and...

(Prague, May 14, 2014) The Czech Trade Inspection Authority is pleased to announce that the initiative OpenData.cz that associates workers of Czech universities launched the website VysledkyKontrol.cz to make available all information from inspection activities of the CTIA in a clearer, more differentiated and user-friendly way than before. The information are regularly – once in three months – updated with new data filed into the same source files related to inspections that have been carried out since January 1, 2012. The Czech Trade Inspecti...

(Partial report of first quarter of 2014)(Prague, May 13, 2014) Obligation to label shoes not only with standard data on manufacturer or size but also with symbols concerning materials used in major parts of shoes, i.e. material of the top, lining, insole and sole, is stipulated in an implementing decree to the Act on Consumer Protection*). As proven by results of an inspection action concerning labelling of shoes and shortcomings detected by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, a certain number of vendors don’t care about compliance with lega...

(Partial report of 1st quarter of 2014) (Prague, May 6, 2014) In the monitored period, detected violations of the Act on Consumer Protection didn’t significantly change when compared with the previous year. Consumers were again deceived by incorrect or untruthful data about offered products and excursions as well as conditions under which it is possible to purchase respective items. Sellers kept declaring unproven positive effects of offered products on consumers’ health which was assessed as the use of unfair commercial practices. New violati...

(Ostrava, April 30, 2014) Colourful flowers, stalls with decorative plants and crops, gardening items and nice weather attracted thousands of visitors to the gardening exhibition and fair Flora Olomouc in late April. There also were stalls with refreshments and various goods, so inspectors of the CTIA again inspected sellers at the traditional event. They checked the total of 41 sale points, including 11 concerning which they detected shortcomings. In the period from April 24 to April 27, 2014, inspectors of the CTIA aimed at inspection of st...

(Prague, April 29, 2014) The Czech Trade Inspection Authority warns against a dangerous soda maker called Česká soda klasik (Czech soda classic).Within usual use of the product, consumer’s health can be damaged as a result of rapid destruction of gas tubes leading gas into the bottle and subsequent damage of other plastic parts of the product. Such destruction can happen due to critical gas pressure and incorrect operation of safety valve. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority therefore imposed ban on sale of the product and ordered its withdraw...