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	Consumer's telegram January 2012

Consumer's Telegramm / Consumer's telegram January 2012

Consumer's Telegramm European Edition

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Consumer's Telegram January 2012

Insert of n. 06 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre, Bolzano - Italy)

ECC

A Small Flashback on the Cases of 2011

Also in 2011 there were many different types of cases that reached our electronic mailbox via the network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) and inspired many different types of solutions and ways of handling, too.We tried, for instance, to get a decision of the Italian Antitrust Authority in the case of an Italian online shop that let its clients from all over Europe wait for months for their goods. In another case of 2011 concerning product warranty, the company was contacted and asked for cooperation in the sense of an amicable agreement out of court, which was a successful way in the end. In some cases, it was also possible to find a goodwill arrangement for consumers even if there was no clearly defined legal entitlement. More about our work is available on /www.euroconsumatori.org.

Alternative Dispute Settlement (ADR)

European Commission is putting forward fundamental Reforms

If a supplier denies the reparation of your laptop within the warranty period, you will not necessarily have to go to court but you can also go the way of alternative dispute settlement. However, at the moment such a dispute settlement off court (ADR - Alternative Dispute Resolution) is just possible in certain cases within the EU. In some states it is possible only in certain regions or for specific branches. What is more, the concept of alternative dispute resolution is hardly known by consumers as well as by entrepreneurs. In future, this might change. Recently, the European Commission has presented proposals for two acts (which should be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council by the end of 2012) in order to guarantee to European citizens the possibility of solving their problems off court (www.euroconsumatori.org).

Brochure

ECC Bolzano publishes new "Guideline for Consumer Complaints"

What should you write exactly in a letter of complaint? Who can you turn to in order to get information about your rights? Do you have to go to court if it is not possible to find an amicable solution or are there other possibilities? If your airline cancels a flight, how will you get to know if it was really due to the bad weather? The new "guideline for consumers" answers these and other questions.The new brochure is available for free at the European Consumer Centre in Bolzano (Via Brenner 3, phone 0471 980939), can be downloaded on the homepage of the ECC or can be sent by post on request.

Case of the Month
Our Reward for the Consumer with the best Persistence and Tenacity
This month we would like to tell you about our consumer Alex whose exemplary persistence and tenacity in the end have paid off. Already in June 2009 her flight with a British Airline was cancelled. In the case of cancelling not due to extraordinary circumstances or an unavoidable technical problem, the EU law defines a lump sum to compensate the flight passengers for their inconveniences (250/400/600 Euros, depending of the length of the flying distance). For the recognition of her claimed compensation of 250 Euros Alex had to wait for two years and five months and to run through a considerable number of stations: first of all she contacted the airline (first on her own and then with the help of our colleagues from the ECC England), then she had to announce the case to the German authorities who control the respecting of passengers' rights by airlines (the German authorities were responsible, as the respective flight should have started from Berlin), moreover the consumer sent a letter to the European Commission to clear the decision of the German authorities and in the end, Alex had to commence a European Small Claims Procedure at the justice of peace in Milano. We are proud of the persistent consumer - however, the case shows once more that a lot of work from the side of all parties is often necessary to make sure that having right means also getting right in the end.


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