ACM offers guidance to sectors that wish to set up voucher schemes
At the moment, voucher schemes are set up in various sectors. The idea behind such schemes is to give consumers who are entitled to refunds vouchers or coupons for the amount of the down payment or financial obligation. With these voucher schemes, businesses seek to prevent bankruptcies if consumers were to ask for refunds en masse.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) recognizes that, due to the current extraordinary situation, it may be more reasonable and wiser for consumers to accept vouchers instead of demanding refunds. That is why ACM has drawn up basic principles for sectors that are contemplating introducing such vouchers. In this context, such schemes should, on the one hand, do justice to the consumers’ right to refunds, but, on the other hand, also be considerate of the difficult situation that business owners currently find themselves in due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.