Brussels is targeting Disneyland Paris for allegedly overcharging British and German customers on the basis of where they live, in the opening salvo of a broader campaign against price discrimination in Europe.
The European Commission on Tuesday told France to investigate whether the theme park is unfairly rigging prices, pointing out that in some cases, for the same premium package, French consumers will pay €1,346 while British visitors are charged €1,870 and Germans €2,447.
Unless companies meet strictly defined criteria, the EU services directive in principle bans forcing consumers to pay more simply because of their nationality or country of residence.
The Brussels clampdown has broader implications for the retail and services sector: the commission is weighing complaints against Amazon, Spanish hoteliers, Austrian ski-lift operators — even Venice's public lavatory system.
Consumers have accused Disneyland Paris of illegally blocking their access to cheap deals available to residents of France or Belgium. This is mostly achieved through residence-based payment and delivery rules, selective offers, or by redirecting consumers to more expensive prices on their national websites.
Elzbieta Bienkowska, the EU commissioner for the single market, said a spate of complaints “were very significant, particularly in one or two instances”.
“It is time to get to the bottom of this,” she said. “I am interested in answers and explanations. On the face of it, I struggle to see what objective justification there could be for these practices.”
A spokesperson for BEUC, the European consumers’ group, welcomed the Commission taking steps to enforce its rulebook and “clarify what constitutes an unjustified discrimination”.
“Geoblocking can lead to price discrimination, is against single market principles and restricts consumer choice,” the spokesperson said.
The initial findings found British consumers paying around 15 per cent more for one-day tickets, according to the preliminary EU assessment. French consumers also benefit from other perks, including large family discounts, special rates, annual packages, monthly payment options and offers to buy tickets at one Disneyland park rather than two. - Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2015
