Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Competition Committee has ordered THINKING APPS LLC to address violations identified following complaints from users of the EDA AI mobile application. The decision was made after the agency analyzed more than 10 consumer complaints received this year.
The Committee noted that it regularly reviews consumer complaints, examines the causes of problems and takes measures to prevent violations and address identified cases.
The analysis found that the provision of services through certain digital platforms using modern information technologies can result in situations that contradict consumers’ rights and legitimate interests.
In particular, EDA AI users reported being charged the cost of an annual subscription after agreeing to pay for a monthly subscription priced at 38,000 soums. According to the Committee, after users entered their bank card details or selected payment methods through Payme, Click and other services, funds were charged without prior notification or additional consent.
Complaints also included cases of repeated subscription charges from bank cards, the inability to cancel subscriptions or obtain refunds for unjustified charges, as well as a lack of service provider contact details and a feedback mechanism.
Consumers also reported delays in processing requests related to refunds.
Users additionally complained that they were required to register and provide a phone number before they could start using the application, after which they were offered a paid subscription.
Other complaints concerned technical errors in the application, including inaccuracies in calculating the calorie content of food products.
The Committee also drew attention to the application’s advertising materials. According to its assessment, they did not provide complete and accurate information about the terms of service. In particular, advertising statements such as “Download the app now and try it for free,” “Lose weight easily” and other similar calls could give consumers an incorrect understanding of the conditions for using the service.
The identified cases were reviewed for compliance with consumer protection legislation.
The Committee reminded that Article 6 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” requires manufacturers, service providers and sellers to provide consumers in a timely manner with necessary, reliable and clear information about goods, works and services.
Under Article 7 of the law, damage caused to a consumer as a result of purchasing a product, work or service due to misleading advertising must be fully compensated by the manufacturer, service provider or seller.
Article 19 requires a service provider to perform work or provide services within the time limits established by relevant rules or a contract, in the required volume and with appropriate quality.
Under Article 23, consumers have a preferential right to have claims provided for by law satisfied in contractual relations with a seller, manufacturer or service provider.
In addition, Article 9 of the Law “On Guarantees of Freedom of Entrepreneurial Activity” requires business entities to fulfil their contractual obligations and comply with legislation on competition and consumer protection.
Taking into account the identified circumstances and in order to protect the rights and legitimate interests of an indefinite number of consumers, the Competition Committee issued an order to THINKING APPS LLC to take the necessary measures to address the cases identified in EDA AI users’ complaints.
The company was also instructed to strictly comply with the requirements of the laws “On Protection of Consumer Rights” and “On Advertising” when interacting with consumers and conducting advertising and marketing activities.
