Forbruker Europa

EU Consumer Scoreboard says that markets for second-hand cars keep failing consumers

Details: Published on 10 December 2012; Written by Maite; Hits: 892

The market for second-hand cars ranks at the bottom of goods markets for the third consecutive year, with the lowest scores on trust, comparability and highest incidence of problems, according to the Commission’s 2012 Consumer Markets Scoreboard published December 7th 2012 - The 8th Consumer Markets Scoreboard.

The Scoreboard is an annual report that ranks the performance of 51 consumer markets based on consumers’ trust in business, comparability of offers, overall satisfaction and the incidence of complaints and problems. Consumer choice, switching of tariffs/providers and price differences between countries are also monitored.

You can read more here and the press release here.

What consumers need to check before and after buying digital content products online

Details: Published on 06 December 2012; Written by Maite; Hits: 495

Just in time for the holidays and gifts shopping season, the European Commission has published the results of an EU wide screening of websites selling games, books, videos and music which can be downloaded to a computer or mobile device. The check shows that over 75% of these websites do not appear to comply with consumer protection rules. In case of a problem, reaching the after-sales service is often difficult as contact information is missing in more than one third of the websites.

National authorities from 26 Member States plus Norway and Iceland checked a total of 333 websites, including 159 selling online games. They flagged 76 % of all websites (254 sites) for further investigation. National authorities have already started to contact companies and ask them to provide clarifications or correct their websites. Failure to do so can result in legal action leading to fines or even closing down of websites. The national enforcement authorities will report back to the Commission by autumn 2013. The Commission will report on the results.

This text is a summary of the press release. You can read the whole press release here.

What consumers need to check before and after buying digital content products online... (klick on "Read more..." below).

Buying consumer credit on-line

Details: Published on 30 November 2012; Written by Maite; Hits: 427

Following EU action, over 75% of websites checked now give satisfactory information to clients, says a European Commission press release.

Before consumers enter into a loan, they need to understand its real cost and take the time to reflect, especially on the monthly repayment. The Consumer Credit Directive lists the information that need to be given in advertising of credits and as part of credit offers and provides for a 14 days reflexion time, during which the consumer may back out of the agreement without charge. Following a crackdown on websites offering consumer credits, more than 3 out of 4 sites checked a year ago now comply with EU law (compared with only 30% in September 2011).

A "sweep" is an exercise to enforce EU law. It is led by the EU and carried out by national enforcement authorities who conduct simultaneous, coordinated checks for breaches in consumer law in a particular sector. The national enforcement authorities then contact operators about suspected irregularities and ask them to take corrective action. The Consumer Credit sweep took place in September 2011.

This text is a summary of the press release. You can read the whole press release here.

What you need to check before and when signing a consumer credit online...

Ski Resorts in Europe 2012-2013

Details: Published on 22 November 2012; Written by Maite; Hits: 524

The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) has launched its latest report on Ski resorts in Europe entitled: ‘Ski Resorts in Europe 2012-2013’.

This report is the second pan-European survey on ski resorts conducted by ECC-Net. The report outlines which ski resorts can offer you the best value for what you are looking for. It focuses on a number of different variables such as the price range and infrastructure of 400 ski, cross-country and indoor resorts all over Europe.

The main result of the report showed that carrying out comparisons can save you money.

Many Consumers still experience problems when shopping online

Details: Published on 21 November 2012; Written by Maite; Hits: 542

Many Consumers still experience problems when shopping online; this is shown in a new report released by The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net: "The European Online Marketplace - Consumer complaints 2010-2011".

The majority of problems concern reported non-delivery, defective products and non-conformity with order. One of the problems that consumers experience is that traders do not always apply the distance selling rules with the result that consumers are denied their legally established cooling off period. However, despite the number of issues faced by consumers the experience is that online shopping is increasing and developing.

The report provides a useful checklist for consumers. By using checklists with practical advice ECC-Net recommends consumers to: