ConsuWijzer sees consumer becoming more assertive

More and more consumers are using ConsuWijzer, the government information desk for consumers, to seek redress. The percentage of consumers who set to work themselves with practical aids, such as example letters for submitting a complaint to a company, has risen by some 50%. During the past six months, a total of 200,000 example letters and information sheets have been used by consumers. The number of visits to the ConsuWijzer website compared to the first six months of 2008 has also more than doubled, and currently stands at 2.5 million web visits since starting in October 2006. According to State Secretary of Economic Affairs Frank Heemskerk it is good to see consumers becoming more active and assertive. "As well as tackling companies that ride roughshod over consumer rights, it is important that consumers know and can enforce their rights easily. This keeps companies on their toes and leads to a better service", says Heemskerk.

Advice and signals for the enforcement authorities

In 2009 the three enforcement authorities behind ConsuWijzer, the Consumer Authority, OPTA and the NMa, received some 60,000 questions and complaints through the information desk. These reports form a valuable source of signals for the enforcement authorities about where things are going wrong in the market and what they need to tackle. So far in 2009 the information desks have received most signals about guarantees and non-conformity (particularly in the electronics sector), the techniques used by energy companies to acquire new customers, and text messaging services.

Popular webpages

The five most popular webpages of ConsuWijzer.nl in 2009 were: 

1. Guarantees and non-conformity (120,700 visits)
2. Energy company comparisons and switching (111,800 visits)
3. Text messaging services (63,700 visits)
4. Energy bills (41,200 visits)
5. Telemarketing (34,100 visits)

Customer satisfaction

Each year ConsuWijzer commissions an independent survey into consumer satisfaction with its services by the communication channels of telephone, email, letter and website. The survey results published in 2009 show that the average score awarded by consumers to ConsuWijzer for its services is 7.3. This shows that it has succeeded in maintaining the quality of its service compared to 2008, when it scored 7.2. Customers rated customer friendliness and the clarity of legal advice by email particularly highly.

ConsuWijzer is the information desk for consumers, with practical tips and advice on their rights. It can be reached at www.consuwijzer.nl  or by telephone at (088) 0707070, and is an initiative of the three enforcement authorities of the Ministry of Economic Affairs: the Consumer Authority, the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) and the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (OPTA).