Brussels, 18/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided upon what it believes is the most rational methodology for a new EU consumer complaint classification system that will identify failing markets, publish information and react more effectively to shortcomings.
The methodology is set out in a new Commission report. It consists of collecting consumer complaints and the related information according to product category (airline tickets, electricity, banking, for example) and the type of complaint (quality, price, safety, delivery, etc).
Bodies responsible for collating consumer complaints, national consumer protection authorities, for example, or consumer organisations, ombudsmen and dispute settlement bodies will be invited (but not forced) to provide this information to the Commission, which will then publish all the information in consumer market league tables.
Explaining the utility of such a standardised method, EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli explained in a press release that if consumers complain en masse about the same issue, alarm bells should start ringing in the member states and in Brussels but at the moment, it is possible for the message to not get to Brussels early enough or in enough detail. He said with this new initiative, when consumers have problems in their daily lives, decision-makers will know about it better and more quickly.
This Commission recommendation was formally adopted on Wednesday 12 May 2010. It follows on from a public consultation exercise in July 2009 at the same time as a report was published on a harmonised complaint classification system to enable market failings to be detected more rapidly (see EUROPE 9937). (A.N./transl.fl)