Consumer Protection Association marks 10th anniversary
The Czech Association for Consumer Protection has just marked its tenth anniversary; ten years of helping Czechs to enforce their rights in a market economy with which they had no prior experience whatsoever. Today the Association has a network of consumer counseling offices, an SOS hotline and is involved in consumer education in schools. Daniela Lazarova has the story:
The Association for Consumer Protection - which operates on a government grant - takes on cases where individuals have little or no chance of defending their rights. Most recently it persuaded Telecom's management to refund money for phonecards because it had failed to warn clients that the cards would expire at the end of the year. As public trust in the Association grows, consumers are increasingly turning to it for help and advice. In 1997 the SOS hotline took 400 calls - in 2002 it was over 6,000. The association's deputy chairman Karel Pavlik says that the situation is gradually improving, but that in general Czechs are still not assertive enough in defending their consumer rights.
"We try to explain to Czech consumers that they have to enforce their rights; that they have to fight back because otherwise the situation on the market will remain the same. Businesses accommodate to the level which consumers allow."
What are the problem areas on the Czech market?
"The most frequent problems are linked to the quality of shoes, electronics, mobile phones, textiles and some services like dry-cleaners or car services."
Would you say that the Czech market is more risky for the consumer than EU markets because small firms mushroom and disappear very quickly and because many Czechs still go for the cheaper products, the lower end of the market?
Yes, this is linked to purchasing power and when consumers buy cheaper goods -or the cheapest goods on the market - they will naturally have more problems than when buying well known brands, but they should always keep in mind that the price is not the sole indicator of the quality of a product."
If you were to compare the situation here in the Czech Republic with that in the EU, which we are to join in 2004 - how would you assess that?
"The legislation on both markets is very similar now but the reality still differs because consumers here are not always aware of their new rights and they need to be more assertive in enforcing them."
The consumer protection SOS hotline is : 900 969 091
