Minister backs boycott of overcharging appliance retailers

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has backed calls by the Consumers Association for a boycott of retailers who raised prices following the introduction of new recycling arrangements for electrical goods.

Dick Roche confirmed he had received one serious complaint which he passed on to the Director of Consumer Affairs for investigation.

Most retailers have passed on charges of up to €40 to consumers for appliances due to the EU directive.

The Minister said that was not what was supposed to happen: “I support the Consumers Association saying people should shop around.

"One of the reasons why we've published the environmental management charges was specifically so that they could be transparent, so everybody would know what they were being charged. These are producer charges, these are not consumer charges.”