Flowers, Lipstick And A Horse

Nov. 13, 2009 - PRLog -- Flowers, lipstick and a horse are just a few of the more bizarre subjects for complaints dealt with by the UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) in its first two years of opening.

Based in the UK, the UK ECC is just about to celebrate its second birthday - on 14 November - with the knowledge that it handled a larger number of consumer enquiries last year than any of its European counterparts in the other 28 centres.

Mr Jed Mayatt, UK ECC Manager, said: “The UK ECC is the busiest centre within the European Consumer Centre network  - we handled more than 8,000 cases in 2008 (complaints and information requests), topping the number dealt with by Italy (just under 8,000), Germany (just under 6,000) and Austria (just over 5,500) - and we tend to get some unusual topics as well as more regular subjects.

“We’ve certainly had some bizarre complaints in our first two years, but they have all helped us build up an excellent insight into the problems UK consumer are experiencing when buying in Europe and also what problems European consumers are having when shopping in the UK. We know a lot more about UK consumers and their cross-border purchasing problems now that our service is almost two years old. Every complaint is important to the consumer and we always do our best.

“Our aim is to help as many UK consumers as possible who encounter problems with a trader based in Europe, to achieve a resolution: a replacement, repair, refund or cancellation of their contract. We also receive cases from European consumers who are having problems with a UK trader and every effort is made to contact the trader to resolve the complaint.

“As well as complaints about unusual topics, we also receive a vast number of complaints about more common subjects such as timeshares and similar products (including discount holiday clubs and the resale of both timeshares and discount holiday clubs), transport (including passenger transport by air, and car rental) and recreation and culture (including photographic and video equipment).”

The types of complaints the UK ECC has dealt with in its second year have been as varied as the countries within the EU:

•   There was a UK lady who bought a £3,000 horse from a Swedish trader, but when the horse was delivered it was suffering from severe medical conditions that prevented it from being ridden. The customer wanted her money back as a ‘suitable replacement’ could not be found, but the Swedish trader was unwilling to fully cooperate. The UK ECC took the case up with its Swedish counterpart and it was passed straight away to the Swedish Equestrian Federation - an Alternative Dispute Resolution body (ADR) - which mediated.

Jed said: “This was certainly one of our more unusual cases. It was passed to the Swedish Equestrian Federation due to the urgent nature of the complaint – the horse needed care and attention, plus further vetinerary treatment. The ADR decision found in favour of the consumer. An agreement was reached regarding the return of the horse and £3,000 was reimbursed, along with several hundred pounds of damages – so this was definitely a success story for us.”

•   A Romanian mother complained on behalf of her daughter, who had bought a €2 girls’ magazine with a free lipstick from a news-stall in Romania. The lipstick smelt rank and the consumer complained. A replacement free lipstick was secured from the UK distributor responsible for the magazine.

Jed said: “As this was a free gift and as such was not part of any contract, it was arguable  whether the Consumer Sales Directive or the Sale of Goods Act 1979 applied (under which the consumer has the right to a repair or replacement if the goods are not of a satisfactory quality). But the trader came up with a replacement lipstick and another copy of the magazine, which was not necessarily expected and was a good result all round. We thought it was a lost cause – we certainly learn something new every day in this job.”

•   A man from Portugal ordered some flowers online to be delivered from a UK trader. But the flowers never arrived. After the UK ECC’s involvement, the consumer received a £9.99 refund.

Jed said: “One of the common complaints about online shopping is non-delivery of goods ordered. When you place an order, you are normally given an indication of when the item will be received. Under the Distance Selling Directive, the goods should be delivered within 30 days of placing an order, unless an alternative delivery date has been agreed between the consumer and the trader. So if it takes longer than 30 days for the goods to be delivered, the trader could find their contract cancelled and a refund needs to be issued within 30 days. We were happy that there was a successful resolution to this case.”

The UK ECC can be reached by consumers through its website – www.ukecc.net – or by calling 08456 040503.

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The UK ECC is part of a network that is made up of 29 centres throughout Europe. The centres work together in order to try and resolve consumer cross-border disputes in an amicable manner. We provide advice, information, and support to consumers.