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The GVH accepted commitments

The Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH) has closed its competition supervision proceeding by accepting commitments from Biztositas.hu Biztosítási Alkusz Kft.

Biztosítás.hu Biztosítási Alkusz Kft. (Biztosítás.hu) is specialized in insurance broker activities. According to that, the undertaking operates an online insurance website, which (with the assistance of a "fee calculator") helps to compare the offers provided by insurance companies about their compulsory third-party liability services, and gives the opportunity to enter into a contract with one of the insurance companies.

To calculate those tariffs that are applied by the insurance companies, which provide compulsory third-party liability services is a highly difficult and complex procedure, which makes almost impossible to provide customers with detailed, comprehensive information about the insurance fees of the insurance companies. The service that is provided by Biztosítás.hu helps customers to inform about insurance fees.

Biztosítás.hu promoted its services in many ways between 30 October and 1 December 2009. The "whole service supply" was promoted for customers on the website of www.cyclex-tudakozo.hu , while the slogan of "every compulsory insurance company in one place with a guarantee" appeared in DM-leaflets.

Besides the undertaking advertised its website on www.ok.hu , and on www.cyclex-tudakozo.hu as "the best place to find the cheapest compulsory third-party liability service". As regards these websites, the Biztosítás.hu has pointed out during the investigation that it was not aware that the advertisements, which were published years ago, are still available on the above-mentioned marginal websites.

Biztositas.hu has entered into cooperation agreements with all insurance companies, however, the so-called "free-calculator" did not take into account four of the tariffs in the field of the obtainable discounts of the provided compulsory third-party liability services. Biztositas.hu also guaranteed the correct calculation of the published insurance tariffs by taking responsibility for the contracts that had been concluded through its website. In case of deviation, Biztosítás.hu undertook to reimburse the difference between the factual insurance fee and the cheapest fee obtainable on its website. This latter concerned only the case if the insurance fee, which had been ultimately calculated by the insurance company and was stipulated in the bond was higher than the fee that was stipulated in the contract on the website. Besides the undertaking allowed customers in each and every contract with regard to compulsory third-party liability services to obtain the cheapest insurance fee available at the time of making an offer. Biztosítás.hu also undertook to reimburse the difference between fees, but only if the contracting party could prove that he/she would have had a chance to conclude a more beneficial contract in connection with compulsory third-party liability services.

After receiving the preliminary position of the GVH, the undertaking decided to submit its commitments to the authority. In these commitments Biztosítás, hu undertook the followings:

  • the undertaking will refrain to use in the future the slogan of "every compulsory insurance company in one place with a guarantee", if offers and discounts provided by certain insurance companies cannot be found under the domain name of www.biztosítas.hu or cannot be reached or obtained through the undertaking's website, and

  • the undertaking will develop and put in operation a system (with the necessary computer programs) not later than by 31 March 2011 that will defecate the content of the websites, which were the subject of the GVH's investigation ( www.cylex-tudakozo.hu and www.ok.hu ). This system will continuously monitor the Internet and thus it will be capable to store jointly and to defecate the previously and currently applied slogans, contents and other advertisements of the undertaking (both in a case of paid and free advertisements) and also to indicate to the relevant associates of Biztosítás.hu if an advertisement has lost its topicality. Biztosítás.hu shall inform the GVH about the newly developed system with the simultaneous sending of the documentation not later than by 31 March 2011.

Since the GVH came to the conclusion that by the accomplishment of the above-mentioned commitments Biztosítás.hu will harmonize its conduct with the relevant provisions of the competition act and thus the safeguarding of public interest can be ensured effectively, the GVH accepted the commitments and by its order made them binding.

Case Number: Vj-19/2010.

Budapest, 13 October 2010

Competition Authority
Communication Group

Further information to the press:
József SÁRAI
Gazdasági Versenyhivatal
Address: 1054 Budapest, V. ker. Alkotmány u.5.
Postal address: 1245 Budapest, 5. Pf. 1036
Tel: +36-30 618-6618
Email: press@gvh.hu
http://www.gvh.hu