Bad WLAN on vacation? Travel price reduction!

The topic of WLAN also occupies people on vacation and thus also courts, when there are disputes about reductions in the travel price.

The plaintiff had booked for its family and itself a package tour on the Maldives in a “5-star luxury Resort”. Hotel guests were transported to the hotel facility by seaplanes that took off and landed in front of Plaintiff’s beachfront villa between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m./6:00 p.m. The beach section in question could therefore not be used for swimming and lingering. In addition, the WLAN did not work continuously: If the plaintiff managed to log on and establish a connection, it ended after a few minutes, e-mails could not be downloaded and Internet pages could not be set up. Upon a complaint by the plaintiff, the tour operator offered to find the plaintiff alternative accommodation, but only for a cancellation fee of 100%. The plaintiff organized his own other accommodation.

The Travel Chamber of the Regional Court ruled in a judgment dated May 22, 2019, that the noise emissions from the seaplanes justified a 50% reduction in the price of the trip.

For the limited WLAN use, the court awarded a further reduction of 15% of the travel price. The hotel description had advertised free Wi-Fi access. In the hotel category described as particularly high-quality, a traveler could expect to be able to pursue at least those Internet activities everywhere within the facility that are typical on vacation (calling up Internet sites, unrestricted e-mail access, use of messenger services, etc.).

The judgment is not final.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.