Vacation trap on the Internet: One click too many - and suddenly 2,692 euros cancellation costs!

A quick look at the prices for a trip to Dubai - that was all a woman from Munich actually had in mind. But what followed was anything but a short vacation: instead of comparing prices, she ended up in the middle of a real legal dispute. After a few clicks on the travel portal, she suddenly received a booking confirmation. The cost: 2,834 euros - for a trip she never wanted to book. And when she refused to pay, the cancellation invoice followed: 2,692.30 euros!

The case finally ended up before the Munich District Court, which is now sending a clear signal to all online travel portals: You can't get away with it that easily!

The expensive click: How a price inquiry turned into a travel booking

The woman from Munich simply entered her details on the organizer's website, clicked through a few instructions and confirmed, as on many other sites, by clicking on "Buy now" - accompanied by a shopping cart symbol. A clear booking process? According to the provider: yes. According to the customer: no way!

After clicking, she was merely redirected and did not receive a clear overview of the travel content or price. A classic booking overview - as you would expect before making an online purchase - was completely missing.

The travel company saw things differently, canceled the trip and sent the hefty fee. The customer paid under reserve and sued - with success.

The court clearly says: Not like this, dear travel portals!

The Munich Local Court (case no. 191 C 1446/22) ruled clearly in favor of the customer. Yes, she had pressed the "Buy now" button. However, the design of the website was misleading and did not meet the legal requirements for the effective conclusion of a contract on the internet.

It was particularly criticized:

• The shopping cart icon next to the button, which is more reminiscent of "Add to cart" than "Book now".
• A missing overview of the booked trip and its price.
• Unclear and misleading information, where it remains unclear whether you are really booking a trip - or just confirming terms and conditions.

The judgment is now legally binding - the customer gets her money back.

Digital booking trap: How secure are click contracts?

The case shows that online contracts are often more complicated than they seem. Sometimes there is only a click between "just having a look" and "making a binding purchase" - but legally speaking, the difference can be huge.

The fact that even a button with the words "Buy now" is not automatically sufficient if the site is poorly designed is an important signal. This is because many providers use precisely such weaknesses in the design to get consumers to "accidentally book" - and end up collecting hefty cancellation fees.

Clear rules for quick clicks

Once again it is clear that the Internet is not just about quick clicks - it is also about clear rules. And anyone who designs websites in such a way that customers inadvertently conclude contracts is playing a dirty game.

It's good that the court has taken action here. Because if a button with a shopping cart symbol seems more important than the actual travel content, then something is going wrong - not with the customer, but with the website. Digital deception is not a modern sales strategy - it's an invitation to sue.