In the first quarter of 2025, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority inspected online shops and found numerous breaches of consumer protection laws. The focus was particularly on providers suspected of illegal behaviour.
The Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) examined a total of 174 online shops in the first quarter of 2025 – with alarming results: in 151 cases, that is almost 87 per cent of the inspections, violations of applicable consumer protection laws were found.
The focus was on providers who had already been reported for illegal behaviour, for example through consumer complaints. In particular, compliance with the legal provisions of the Consumer Protection Act (Act No. 634/1992 Sb.) and the Civil Code (Act No. 89/2012 Sb.) was scrutinised.
Consumer rights frequently disregarded
The Consumer Protection Act alone was violated in 217 cases. The most frequent complaint was inadequate information about complaint rights: in 80 cases, retailers failed to fulfil their obligation to provide information about the scope, conditions and manner of asserting rights in the event of defects.
In 67 cases, ČOI identified unfair business practices – especially through misleading or manipulative information about products, prices or return rights. Particularly serious were 14 cases where it was unclear whether customer reviews actually came from genuine buyers. In 31 cases, customers were either not informed at all or were insufficiently informed about out-of-court dispute resolution bodies.
Numerous violations of the Civil Code
The Civil Code was violated in 208 cases – primarily the requirement to provide comprehensive advance information for online purchases. In 114 cases, information on withdrawal periods and conditions, or a corresponding sample form, was missing.
Another common violation was the failure to provide the terms and conditions of the contract in text form in 35 cases, despite this being required by law for online contracts. In 33 cases, the obligation to provide a clear indication of the payment obligation (‘order with obligation to pay’) was breached.
In total, the inspection imposed 184 legally binding fines amounting to over three million Czech koruna (approx. 120,000 euros) during the period in question.
