ConsuWijzer a valuable source of information

In 2008 ConsuWijzer has been a valuable source of information. More and more consumers are using the service, where they ask their questions and report their problems with providers and sellers. State Secretary Heemskerk of Economic Affairs says: "At ConsuWijzer the consumer receives free and independent advice on how he/she can sort out the problem him/herself. Such a report also helps the enforcement authorities to take specific action, such as against misuse of expensive premium telephone numbers or misleading offers."

In 2008 the ConsuWijzer website was visited more than one million times (1,050,000) and more than 90,000 consumers received practical, personalised advice via telephone or email. These consumers were also a source of information about what is going wrong in the market, and these signals are extremely important for the three enforcement authorities behind ConsuWijzer - the Consumer Authority, the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) and the Independent post and Telecommunications Authority (OPTA). Based on these signals they can tackle problems that affect large groups of consumers.

In order to increase awareness of ConsuWijzer even more, today sees the start of a radio and TV campaign with the motto: 'ConsuWijzer: now you know what you are entitled to!' At the centre of the campaign is eight-year-old Bas, who goes back to the shop with his broken toy car and, thanks to the information from ConsuWijzer, gets what he is entitled to.

Signal function

Examples of cases that have been tackled in 2008 based on signals received by ConsuWijzer:

• Based on reports of problems with guarantee issues, the Consumer Authority has examined closely the guarantee practices of electronics stores. As a result, a chain of computer stores has promised to modify its guarantee practices.
• Based on complaints received by ConsuWijzer, OPTA has closed down two 0900 numbers on suspicion of misuse. In addition, during 2008 OPTA sent a warning to 68 holders of 0900 numbers for failure to state the compulsory maximum rate, partly thanks to consumer complaints.
• ConsuWijzer receives many questions about energy companies. For this reason the NMa introduced the EnergieWijzer on ConsuWijzer in November, to provide clearer information and enable the consumer to make a more informed choice between the various suppliers.

ConsuWijzer facts

The top five questions and complaints received by ConsuWijzer in 2008:

1. guarantee & conformity (entitlement to a good product)
2. acquisition of customers and switching energy companies
3. ditto among telecom companies
4. confusing energy bills
5. text messaging services (such as ringtones)

The top ten subjects most frequently consulted on the website are:

1. example letters
2. text messaging services
3. EnergieWijzer
4. guarantees & conformity
5. energy bills
6. telemarketing
7. energy rates
8. online shopping
9. quality markets
10. unfair commercial practices