European organisations that help with consumer complaints

If you bought goods from a country within Europe and you have a complaint about those goods, there are a number of European organisations that may be able to help you.

This page tells you about European organisations that help with consumer complaints.

If you have a complaint

If you have a complaint against a trader that sold you something from a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, you should first try to resolve your complaint with the trader directly.

If the trader does not agree with your complaint and is not part of a scheme that offers an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service, there are other organisations which may be able to help you.

The Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform

If you’ve got a dispute with a trader about a product or service you bought online, you can use the ODR platform to try and resolve it without going to court. You can only use this platform if you live in the EU and the dispute is with an EU trader.

Important

Traders who sell goods or services online or electronically (eg over email) must tell you about the option to use ADR. If they are a member of an ADR scheme, they must make the details available:

  • on their website
  • in their paperwork
  • in their terms and conditions.

They must also provide a link to the ODR platform, whether or not they are a member of an ADR scheme.

If any of this information is not there, you should report this to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

European Consumer Centres

There is a network of European Consumer Centres (ECC) in all EU member states including Iceland and Norway. They can:

  • provide information and help on problems with goods and services
  • help you sort out your complaint by speaking to the trader on a your behalf.

The UK European Consumer Centres are run by the Trading Standards Institute.

Contact them if your complaint to the trader has not been successful and you want advice on what to do next.

Website if you bought goods or services: www.ukecc.net
Tel: 01268 886 690

Financial Services Network (FIN-NET)

If your complaint involves financial services, the Europe-wide Financial Services Network (FIN-NET) helps resolve consumer disputes in the areas of banking, building societies, insurance and investment. The UK member of FIN-NET is The Financial Ombudsman. They will help you by putting you into contact with a dispute resolution scheme in the country where you bought the financial service.

Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Tel: 0800 023 4567 (from UK) or 0300 1239 123 (from Europe)

Source: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-abroad/buying-abroad/european-organisations-that-help-with-consumer-complaints/

Copyright © Consumer Academy 2015
This publication has been produced by Turkish Republic Ministry of Customs and Trade with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union within the concept of the Project titled ‘Consumer Academy’. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Turkish Republic Ministry of Customs and Trade and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Turkish National Agency and the Commission.