1. Experiences & complaints of e-consumers Edith Appelmans – European Consumer Centre Belgium

2. A European network for consumers Project of the European Commission (DG Sanco) To promote consumer confidence in the Internal Market How: Through solving consumer complaints Through information provision and education Subsidized by European Commission (50%) and by the Member States (50%) ECC Belgium exists since October 2001

3. ECC-Net statistics 2011 ECC-Net handled 70 207 demands from consumers in 2011 : 28 108 information requests 42 099 complaints

4. Complaints from e-consumers cross-border consumers contacting ECC-Net purchasing service or product online: 56,6%

5. E-consumers complaints per type ECC Belgium ECC Belgium received 1822 complaints (55%) from e-consumers in 2011

6. E-consumers complaints per sector ECC Belgium

7. Online cross-border mystery shopping of ECC-Net 18 ECCs puchased and returned 20 products between 50 and 150 in 17 other EU-states in Jan-March 2011 Analysis of information on websites, of purchase procedure, return procedure and reimbursement Positive results for pre-contractual information: –Name easy to find (90%) –Geografical address (86%) –E-mail address (80%) but: –no information on delivery time (26%) or delivery costs (7%) –Only 82% mentions right of withdrawal & in 20% info is false

8. Delivery: 62 % in the week after payment, 89% in 2 weeks after payment. Mean: 8 days between payment and delivery Reimbursement: 46% in 7 to 14 days after receiving returned products, 90 % in 30 days. 10 % not reimbursed 57% did not reimbursed delivery costs

9. Only 17 % of the websites displayed a trustmark (52 websites)

10. New ECC-Net report to be published in October 2012 The last 4 years the key categories, given rise to most complaints, have remained the same

11. ECC-Net workshop on fraud in 2012 ECC-Net will present its report prevention is the best way to avoid consumers to be trapped Brochure ECC Belgium

12. More info? European Consumer Centre Belgium www.eccbelgium.be www.cecbelgique.be www.eccbelgie.be