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Friday, 26.04.2024, 19:00
SIA Internet and SS fined EUR 15,000 each by Consumer Rights Protection Center
The Consumer Rights Protection Center began to look into the business
practices of SIA Internet and SIA SS after customers' complaints about the
www.ss.lv classified ads portal
increased sharply at the end of 2016.
The two companies were several times asked to halt their unfair business
practices, but starting from April 2017, none of the companies responded to the
Consumer Rights Protection Center's warnings anymore, therefore the center has
fined both EUR 15,000 and ordered them to eliminate all shortcomings in their
business operations.
The Consumer Rights Protection Center has found that the SS.lv website does not offer users
information about the actual provider of SS.lv
services. While SIA Internet is
indicated as the entity to get in touch with should clients experience any
problems, the payments they make for SS.lv
services actually go to SIA SS.
Furthermore, SIA Internet and SIA
SS are not concerned about effective
and quick communication with their clients - many clients' inquiries were
replied late or not replied at all.
The portal only informs the clients about the minimum price of its
services, but not the end price, or how the end price is calculated. Likewise,
it makes no mention whether the final price includes taxes.
Clients are offered no information about what will happen to the remaining
amount in their account should they be banned from using the website, and so
on.
SIA Internet and SIA SS may appeal the Consumer Rights
Protection Center's fines to the Administrative District Court within one
month.
As reported, SS.lv was shut down
at the State Revenue Service’s request at the beginning of August. The Revenue
Service decided to halt operations of SS.lv,
Latvia's largest classified advertisements website, as the portal refused to
inform the revenue service about automobile dealers who had failed to register
with the tax authority. The State Revenue Service earlier found that the SS.lv website was being used for illegal
business operations by persons buying and selling automobiles who had not
registered with the Revenue Service.