Netflix only launched in France in September, but it already has some trouble on its hands in the country.
France’s largest consumer defense organization, The Confederation for Consumption, Housing, Living and Environment (CLCV), has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the company for some issues it sees with the “fine print” of its subscriber contracts.
There are apparently three specific issues the organization takes issue with. The Hollywood Reporter reports:
In the first of its three points of criticism, CLCV takes issue with a clause in which Netflix reserves the right to modify the terms of the contract without notifying customers. Under French law, companies must notify the customer of any changes and give them the option to opt out without penalty, it said.
CLCV’s second complaint is that Netflix doesn’t guarantee the quality of video on the screen, which the group says would not allow consumers to negotiate compensation or refunds if they are not satisfied. Lastly, the group points out that some links of the precontractual information and conditions of use are written in English or link to English pages, specifically information about gift subscriptions and pages on copyright and intellectual property.
Despite all of this, the organization reportedly praised Netflix for creating an otherwise positive experience for French consumers, mainly by opening up competition in the space and creating a new option for consumer’ video watching needs.
Netflix followed its French launch with launches in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The company also recently announced that it will launch in Australia and New Zealand in March.
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