MILAN -Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) has opened an investigation into U.S. elevator maker Otis Worldwide’s Italian business over alleged unfair commercial practices, the watchdog said on Friday.
Otis is suspected of having installed on elevators devices that offer services for a fee without explicit consent from customers, AGCM said in a statement.
The company may also have failed to meet deadlines for new installations and handled maintenance and renovation requests inadequately, the competition watchdog said.
“We are aware of the investigation and are cooperating with the authority,” Otis said in an emailed statement, adding it could not comment further given it is an ongoing legal matter.
Officials from the competition authority and members of Italy’s tax police have inspected several Otis offices in Italy as part of the investigation, AGCM said.
(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro;Editing by David Goodman and Valentina Za)
