Rospotrebnadzor proposes to legally prohibit the imposition of additional services using “checkboxes” in the Russian Federation

As TASS reports, citing a source close to the commission, the law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” will prohibit sellers of goods and services from automatically adding marks upon the purchase of a particular service. Such measures will amount to the imposition of additional paid services and will be considered illegal unless the official consent of the buyer has been obtained.

This applies, first of all, to ticket purchasing services that require insurance, but similar measures will apply to housing and communal services, for example, the automatic inclusion of concierge services or cable television in the bill. The refusal to conclude a contract or the mandatory application of a discount is also subject to modification.

The explanatory note states that the problem of imposing additional paid services “is of great public and social importance”, since commercial entities often resort to “manipulation, the threat of negative consequences for the consumer” and “influence the will of the consumer”. to accept unfavorable conditions. All this violates the law “On Protection of Consumer Rights.”

Previously it became known that the use of such automatic checkboxes was recognized as manipulation and illegal imposition by the court in the case of the Rospotrebnadzor Office for the Astrakhan region against Pobeda Airlines.