Countless apartments are advertised throughout Austria and around the world. However, you have to pay 1 euro for an initial message to landlords. A hidden cost notice reveals: This is where you end up with an expensive subscription!

Anyone looking for a new rental apartment nowadays likes to use platforms on the Internet. New platforms are constantly popping up that aim to simplify the search for the right apartment with innovative new products. On rentola.at, for example, the platform is described as a “user-paid aggregator that makes it easier for you to unlock your next housing adventure.” If you find a suitable apartment here, you have to pay 1 euro to the platform for your message.

That sounds like a small amount, but upon closer inspection you notice that it doesn't stay at one euro, but instead 39 euros are debited after seven days. The next debit follows every 28 days.

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot of the watchlist internet from rentola.at

Hidden cost notice

As can be seen from the picture above, there is no clear indication of the costs involved in concluding a contract. This means that rentola.at disregards the so-called button solution. The law states, for example, that all goods, including essential features, all costs incurred and contract periods as well as the associated termination conditions must be displayed directly above the order button. Here, the reference to monthly debits is only given in tiny font, in dark gray on light gray and below the order button. The contract concluded here for monthly debits is therefore not effective.

Reviews and user experiences from “ Trustpilot ” about the site mentioned (sic!):

Pure rip-off, it says €1, then you get an email, after 7 days €39 is debited. Unsurpassed in terms of audacity. If you had written that next to it for everyone to see, a subscription would never have come about. But you would be stupid if you did that, then they wouldn't get their €39. No star from me at all, but unfortunately one has to be given. People be careful, don't pay the €1, then you'll be on the hook for a €39 subscription.

or

It happened to me the same way, I only subscribed for 1 euro for the whole week and today I noticed that 39.00 had already been deducted from my account twice. Pure fraud!!!

Issues with chargebacks

Experience reports on the Internet indicate that, despite the invalidity of the contract, it is not always simply refunded, but rather that further debits are simply stopped after the respective 28-day term has expired. According to those affected, a refund of the amounts is usually not agreed, even though the debits were made unlawfully.

Contact credit card provider

If you have already contacted rentola.at but have not received a refund, contact your credit card provider and request a refund of any amounts exceeding the 1 euro that you originally released. Amounts that were debited without your consent (e.g. amounts that were not adequately indicated at the time of purchase) must be refunded by your payment service provider in accordance with Section 67 of the Payment Services Act 2018.

source

Watchlist Internet

Also read: Fake apartment advertisements on eBay and Co.!


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