News Daily Spot: Taking The Mickey? EU Probe Into Disney Prices

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Taking The Mickey? EU Probe Into Disney Prices

Disneyland Paris is being investigated by the EU for allegedly overcharging British and German visitors.
The probe, which follows complaints from members of the public, is the first move in a wider campaign against price discrimination in Europe, known as geo-blocking.
It has emerged that in some cases French consumers are asked to pay €1,346 (£953) for a premium package while Brits are charged €1,870 (£1,324) and Germans €2,447 (£1,733).
The European Commission has ordered the French authorities to find out whether the theme park is unfairly rigging prices
Consumers have accused Euro Disney 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 their national websites.
ElzbietaBienkowska, the EU commissioner for the single market, is quoted by the Financial Times as saying the complaints "were very significant, particularly in one or two instances".
She added: "It is time to get to the bottom of this. 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."
Under EU rules prices can be varied according to nationality if there are objective reasons, such as different market conditions or different holiday periods.
Disneyland Paris said in a statement: "When purchased directly with Disneyland Paris, the cost of a basic resort package - without promotional offers - is identical across all markets, give or take exchange rates.
"Throughout the year we try to attract guests from different markets by offering market-specific 'book-by' promotions that can include discounts.
"Those promotions take into consideration factors specific to people in the local market, such as their school holiday calendar and booking patterns.
"Anyone aware of a promotion running in a market not local to them, can contact the Central Reservations Office and request to make that specific booking."
Brussels is also weighing up complaints against firms in the retail and services sector including Amazon

Spanish hoteliers and Austrian ski-lift operators are also under the microscope -  along with Venice’s public lavatory system.

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