Eir, Ryanair, and Vodafone among brands which saw most contacts to CCPC

Vehicles, transport, and telecommunications  topped the list of sectors the CCPC was contacted about, with 2,218 contacts.

Consumers contacted the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) helpline more than 18,000 times in the first six months of 2023 with most queries about Eir, Ryanair and Vodafone.

In total, 18,860 consumers contacted the CCPC's helpline in the first half of the year, the watchdog's Consumer Contacts Report has found. It details the queries and complaints received by the CCPC helpline from consumers across Ireland.

Faulty goods and services were top of the list of reasons people got in touch, with almost 4,000 consumers were referred to the Small Claims Court for redress.

Vehicles, transport, and telecommunications topped the list of sectors the CCPC was contacted about, with 2,218 contacts.

Telecommunications (1,230), home building (1,077), holidays and travel (945), and clothing and footwear (919) rounded out the top five.

The vast majority (88%) of consumer contacts were related to Irish-based businesses, with in-store shopping complaints continuing to rise against online shopping.

The top ten traders named by consumers while contacting the CCPC were: 

• Eir (299)
• Ryanair (247)
• Vodafone (235)
• Harvey Norma (213)
• Bord Gáis (204)
• Currys (202)
• Sky (177)
• DID Electrical (121)
• Aer Lingus (115)
• Electric Ireland (108)

Contacts relating to these 10 traders make up almost a fifth of the total number of named trader contacts.

Some 3,716 consumers were referred to the Small Claims Court, with electronics and audiovisual (412), and home building and improvements (411) topping the list of sectors referred to the court. 

The number of referrals to the Irish Aviation Authority increased by 97% year-on-year.

The report also reveals that the CCPC's online Money Tools were used over 447,182 times in the first half of the year, an increase of 42% from last year. 

Mortgages topped the list of personal finance calls to the helpline, with motor insurance in second place and current accounts in third.

The CCPC is the statutory body responsible for promoting compliance with, and enforcing, competition and consumer protection law in Ireland.

It provides information to consumers about their rights, personal finance and product safety, through a consumer helpline, a dedicated website, public awareness campaigns and through various financial education initiatives

In September, it was awarded new powers by the EU to issue civil fines of up to €10m, or 10% of a company’s annual worldwide turnover, for breaches of Irish and EU competition law.