Friday 15 March 2024 marks International Consumer Rights Day; on this occasion, the European Consumer Center Luxembourg (ECC Luxembourg) has just published its annual report for 2023 in which it announced it processed 4,190 cases and recovered a total sum of €779,500 for consumers.
ECC Luxembourg forms part of a network of 29 European Consumer Centres in the EU, as well as in Iceland and Norway (European Consumer Centres Network - ECC-Net). The ECC-Net also collaborates with the International Consumer Centre in the United Kingdom. They inform consumers about European consumer law and support them in settling cross-border consumer matters. The ECC Luxembourg is financially supported by the European Commission, Luxembourg’s Government and the Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs (ULC)
According to ECC Luxembourg, while Europe has set up laws to protect consumers' rights, the complexity of these regulations leads some consumers to seek help. One of ECC Luxembourg‘s missions is to inform consumers about these regulations.
In 2023, the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg helped consumers in 4,190 cases, by answering 2,660 questions from consumers and handling 1,530 cross-border disputes. For these 1,530 cross-border disputes, the ECC Luxembourg was able to find an out-of-court solution in 69% of cases. For comparison, in 2022, the ECC Luxembourg handled 4,110 cases and in 2021, 3,992 cases. In 2023, the increase was around 5% compared to 2021. Out of these 4,190 cases, the four main areas were air passenger rights (14%), car purchase and hire (8%), mobile phones and equipment (4%) and tourism (restaurants, hotels and timeshare) with 3%.
In 2023, another significant element was the amount of €779,500 that ECC Luxembourg successfully recovered for the benefit of consumers, marking a new record. The amount considerably surpassed the amount collected in 2022 (€568,100) and was slightly higher than the amount collected in 2021, which was influenced by the extraordinary circumstances relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (€776,000). In 2023, the increase was 37,21% higher compared to 2022. This amount of €779,500 was obtained in cases wherein the ECC either aided consumers in being reimbursed by a professional or wherein the latter helped consumers in defending themselves against an unjustified claim by a professional.
Globally, 41% of consumers chose to contact the centre by phone, 28% preferred to use the contact forms available on the website and 25% contacted them by email. The ECC also mentioned that they can receive consumers at their premises, to have face-to-face consultations. 3% of consumers chose this option. The final 3% were other alternatives such as letters, transfer from another organisation, etc. During the past year, 380 consumers also agreed to share their opinion on our services via a satisfaction survey, carried out through the European Union‘s survey system. Of the 380 respondents, 63% were men and 37% were women. The majority of respondents were in the 35-49 age range. The overall satisfaction rate was 90.26%, which the centre noted was in line with their desire to offer the “best possible service” to their customers.
The ECC Luxembourg serves as a contact point, offering consumers information and assistance on various matters related to EU regulations. Firstly, it acts as a contact point for the Services Directive, which aims to facilitate trade in services within the EU by eliminating barriers. Additionally, it serves as a contact point for the "Geoblocking" regulation, aiming to fight unjust geographical discrimination based on consumers' nationality or place of residence. The ECC Luxembourg also supports consumers and traders through the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform, aiming to simplify online dispute resolution. Since 2017, ECC Luxembourg has facilitated the European payment order, streamlining cross-border dispute resolution. It also aids consumers in accessing the European Small Claims Procedure, simplifying dispute resolution for matters up to €5,000. Furthermore, it offers support for alternative dispute resolution of cross-border consumer disputes and guides consumers to mediation bodies in Europe. Since 2020, ECC Luxembourg has been designated as the external alert body, empowered to issue alerts to authorities against traders violating EU consumer rights.
