Consumer agency gives out €112k in refunds

Just over €112,000 was refunded to consumers by the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Ireland last year — 40% more than in the previous 12 months.

The latest annual report of the ECC Ireland outlined that 3,326 consumers contacted the office in 2012, with 60% of enquiries being successfully resolved.

The office said of the number of contacts it received, 2,226 were complaints, while 1,100 were merely cases of customers looking for information about the service.

“This is a very good outcome and clearly indicates to consumers that not only is there legislation in place that can protect their rights, but that the European Consumer Centre will assist them in vindicating those rights,” MEP Marian Harkin said.

Most of the €112,058 worth of refunds went directly to Irish consumers, but overall were a mix of Irish people and European consumers.

Cases included an Irish person whose 16-year-old daughter was denied boarding for a flight due to over-booking; and another who found that goods bought from a UK-based trader were not as described in the purchase order.

Ms Harkin added: “More and more people are buying online and more and more people are buying cross-border. While there are laws in place to help protect consumer rights, it can often be difficult to vindicate those rights because of language problems, different legal systems and attempted fraudulent trading.

“The European Consumer Centre in Ireland will investigate the case and contact the Consumer Centre in the country involved, as well as the company or trader concerned. They will also provide information and advice where needed. This is a really good service and should help consumers navigate the sometimes tricky area of cross-border business.”