European Consumer Centres help over 124,000 consumers

A Spanish airline refuses to refund your cancelled flight? Or have you discovered that they charged you extra money from your credit card after you returned your rental car in Italy? Another option - the clothes you ordered from a shop in Slovenia did not fit you. You returned them to the seller but still do not have the money in your account.

You are not alone!

The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) helps consumers in the EU when they have problems with a company from another European country than the one in which they live. Last year, ECC-Net answered more than 124,000 questions, complaints and appeals and helped consumers recover nearly €9 million.

30 years of the European Single Market

Imagine the following scenario: A group of young people have to fly from Sofia via Vienna to Innsbruck, Austria, for a long-planned excursion. However, upon arrival in Vienna, they could not board the next flight to their final destination because they were denied boarding and were rerouted to another flight 6 hours later. The passengers contacted the airline, but only some received compensation for the delay. The last user did not receive the necessary assistance from the carrier. Therefore, he turned to the ECC Bulgaria. With our help, he received 250 euros in compensation.

Cases like this are a regular part of the work conducted by experts in the 29 offices of the ECC-Net. This network aims to ensure that consumers can engage in the single European market and enjoy its advantages, no matter which EU country they reside in.

In 2023, 60% of the complaints received were resolved in favour of consumers. In addition to issues concerning the exercise of consumer rights, such as the right of withdrawal or the right to file a complaint, a significant portion of complaints were related to lost shipments and violations of rights when travelling by plane, bus, or train. In all cases, experts from 29 EU countries, as well as Iceland and Norway, strive to reach an out-of-court settlement that favors the consumer.

ECC-Net is funded by the European Commission and its Member States. The benefits of the work of the European Consumer Centres are demonstrated not only by the almost nine million euros that consumers received with our assistance in 2023, but also by the other activities we carry out. Employees in our offices frequently provide information and advice to consumers about how to terminate expensive contracts. They regularly warn about new fraudulent schemes and work daily to create recommendations to improve consumer protection in the community.

ECC-Net stands up for your rights

ECC-Net has a deep knowledge of consumer problems in Europe and is valued for its staff's professional expertise, many years of experience, and its reach across 29 countries. The network is often used as a reliable source of information by MEPs, other consumer organisations and the press at both European and national level.

Last year, the network received over 22,000 queries on air passenger rights alone. However, in airline insolvency, consumers are protected differently depending on whether they have booked an individual or a package holiday. Therefore, ECC-Net calls for better protection of all passengers from the consequences of insolvency and a review of the air passenger rights regulation. The aim is ultimately to provide more clarity and better protection for consumers.

You can find out more about the other activities we have organised and carried out within the ECC-Net in the recently published Annual Report 2023, which can be downloaded free of charge from www.eccnet.eu.

Free help for consumers

ECC-Net has offices in every EU country, including Iceland and Norway. The network informs European consumers about their rights and helps them free of charge with specific cross-border problems.

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