Where can you go with your consumer complaint? Find out by playing our game!
A consumer problem? What now? Try out our game
A problem with a rental car, a delivery of damaged shoes, a delayed flight, telephone fraud... you name it! Each year we receive over 12.000 complaints. Consumer problems, they really do exist.
But what can you do to resolve your dispute as efficiently as possible?
For its 15th anniversary, the network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) on the topic ‘Redress & Enforcement’ during the month of October. The goal is to empower the European consumer with knowledge, so they can enforce their consumer rights and take full advantage of the opportunities the Single Market offers. Because that is the mission of the ECC-Net. We hope that you, as a consumer, and one of our stakeholders, will support our campaign and share this page with as many people as possible. Because consumer rights don’t stop at the border!
This is what we have in store for you
- A game in PDF format
- A handy and easy to use step-by-step guide
- A video, courtesy of our Danish colleagues
- A teaser video for social media
A problem? A solution!
Our pdf guides you to the appropriate solution via the arrows. Good luck!
Enforcing your rights in six steps
If you would prefer to read the information on our website, we have got you covered.
- First, you should check your legal rights to determine if you have a valid complaint. You can do this by consulting our website. If you still have doubts after reading our information, you can contact us for advice on cross-border disputes (if the trader is based in another EU Member State) or you can contact a national consumer organisation for advice on national disputes.
- In a second step, you should try to find a solution with the opposing party by reminding them of your rights. Did you know we offer template letters in Dutch and French for a variety of issues?
- If your issue still is not resolved, and you would like further assistance, then you can contact us, or a national consumer organisation, or the Consumer Mediation Service.
- If you paid by credit card you can contest the transaction and ask for a reimbursement via your card issuer. If you successfully contest the transaction, your money will be returned, and your problem solved.
- Specialized dispute committees and ombudspersons can help you find a swift and cheap solution for your dispute, without the need to go to court. Many sectors have their own service, including the banking sector, the telecommunications sector, the postal sector, and more. You can find all of them on the ODR-platform.
- Sometimes, there’s only one option left: going to court. To make consumer litigation more accessible, the EU has created two simplified European court procedures.
It is important to know that mediation can only be successful if the trader is trustworthy. If you have a hunch that something isn’t quite right, you can do the Webshop Check to help you determine if a trader can be trusted or not. If you have been the victim of fraud, then the police will be your only recourse. You can also report the trader to the “Meldpunt” of the FPS Economy.
Videos: how to enforce your rights visualized
Our Danish colleagues have made a short video summarizing this information for you.
And we certainly don’t want to deprive you of our social media teaser video.
ECC-Net empowers consumers
This project is part of a larger campaign for the 15th anniversary of the ECC-Net. Each month a new consumer topic is highlighted. This month’s “A consumer problem. What now?” was created by ECC Belgium. In October 2020, all ECCs will inform consumers about their options for dispute resolution on the basis of our work.
