15 December 2020, Budapest – The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has initiated a proceeding against two undertakings, which may have been promoting the ‘Helvetia Apotheke’ dietary supplements using unfair practices.

         Based on the high number of informal complaints concerning the ‘Helvetia Apotheke’ dietary supplements, the GVH has initiated a proceeding against the undertakings Helvetia Apotheke d.o.o. and Helvetia Direct Marketing s.r.o. The GVH alleges that during the promotion of the products via telemarketing, the undertakings fail to disclose significant information to the consumers, such as the aims of the commercial practice, the exact name and address of the undertaking, and the conditions of cancellation. After being contacted, the undertakings include an invoice and a demand for payment with the parcel, which likely give the false impression to the consumer that they have already ordered the product.

         Recently, the GVH has summarised in a notice each of the risks associated with mail-order services, such as the dangers of free trial packages advertised over the telephone. The notice published by the GVH provides assistance to consumers in avoiding similarly inconvenient situations by exercising due care.

         The initiation of the competition supervision proceeding does not mean that the undertaking has in fact committed the infringement. The proceeding is aimed at clarifying the facts and thereby proving the alleged infringement. The time limit for the completion of the proceeding is three months which, where justified, may be extended on two occasions by a maximum of two months each.

The official registration number of the case is: VJ/42/2020.

GVH Press Office

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