IP/09/1092
Brussels, 7 July 2009
Proposal for an "EU-wide complaints-classifying system"
Today the European Commission unveiled a blueprint for an EU-wide method for classifying and reporting consumer complaints, inviting public comments on the proposal. The number of consumer complaints is a key indicator of market health. About half of European consumers who are dissatisfied with how their original complaint was handled by a trader turn to a third party such as a consumer organisation or regulator for help. About 700 complaint-handling organisations exist in Europe, and most of them use their own classifications, which makes an overview very difficult, even at a national level. The idea behind today’s proposal is to ensure that organisations across the EU collecting consumer complaints can use a comparable classification method and then report their data to the Commission. The analysis of the EU-wide data will be a powerful way to help assess how different sectors and national markets are performing for consumers, and enable authorities at national and EU level to more quickly and effectively target markets which are failing consumers. After collecting and analysing feedback from the consultation, the Commission will recommend the final version of the methodology. The complaints classification will be used by organisations on a voluntary basis.
EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said: "When a consumer decides to go through the stress and effort of filing a complaint this usually means that the case is serious. And a flood of similar complaints can be a strong sign of market that is failing consumers ". She added: "The method which we are offering today is meant to make sure that the voice of dissatisfied consumers is heard clearly and early enough both in their national capitals and in Brussels".
The method
The blueprint which the Commission presented today offers a standardised way of collecting a complaint, using a common grid of criteria for classifying cases. The criteria include, for example, the selling method (e.g. a shop or an online purchase), the type of business (e.g. a supermarket or a petrol station), and the product category (e.g. electronic goods or life insurance).. It is intended for use by third parties collecting complaints, such as national consumer authorities, consumer organisations, ombudsmen, complaints boards or regulators. Organisations will opt to use the classification system and to send their data to the Commission on a voluntary basis. The Commission would then make the data public through the Consumer Markets Scoreboard.
In 2008, the Commission asked the stakeholders about their views on the idea of a harmonised EU-wide classification. 80 % of those responding were in favour of the idea. Building on that, the Commission asked a group of experts representing complaints-collecting bodies for help in developing the blueprint which has been presented today.
Why do consumer complaints matter?
In the year leading to February 2008, around 78 million European citizens complained formally to a trader. Another 30 million people did not complain even though they had reason to do so. About half of those who complained formally were not satisfied with the way in which the complaint was handled. Of those who were still dissatisfied, about half (around 20 million people) contacted a third-party organisation for help.
A consumer complaint is a hard fact which could be a sign of a systematic problem in the market. Complaints are one of the five key indicators used by the Consumer Markets Scoreboard of how markets are performing for consumers, along with consumer satisfaction, prices, switching suppliers and safety.
Why an EU-wide approach?
A Commission' study found that there are over 700 third-party organisations collecting consumer complaints in Europe. Some have advanced and detailed reporting systems. But each classifies complaints differently. For example, some bodies use categories mirroring the Yellow Pages, while some others use chapters of national legislation as a basis.
As a result, this valuable source of information remains largely untapped. Comparisons are often difficult even at a national level, let alone the European level, even though the goods and services on offer across the EU are similar, and even though a fair number of them are now traded across borders. The data fragmentation slows down the response of national and European policy makers to the problems encountered by consumers on specific markets.
Who will benefit?
The chief beneficiaries will be the EU consumers themselves, since the time needed for national and European policy makers and regulators to respond to consumers' daily concerns should be reduced considerably.
National authorities and regulators should be able to respond better to emerging trends, thanks to a more complete picture of their own markets, and easier comparisons with other countries. EU policy makers will be able to meaningfully compare EU-wide complaints data with other key market indicators such as prices or supplier switching.
Many non-governmental consumer organisations which now lack the resources to develop their own systems and to influence consumer policy upstream will also benefit from the availability of an off-the-shelf method and of comparable data.
Next steps
The Commission invites comments on the proposal by 5 October 2009. Once the comments have been analysed, the Commission will recommend a final methodology.
Full text of the Communication, the staff working document with the draft methodology, and the online questionnaire:
http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/consultations/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/complaints_en.htm
Results of the initial public consultation:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consultations/complaints/index_en.htm
Consumer Markets Scoreboard:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/facts_en.htm
*********************************************************************
IP/09/1092
Brussell, is-7 ta’ Lulju 2009
Proposta għal sistema mifruxa mal-UE ta' kklassifikar tal-ilmenti
Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea llum żvelat pjan ta’ metodu mifrux mal-UE biex jiġu kklassifikati u rrappurtati l-ilmenti tal-konsumaturi, u stiednet lill-pubbliku jagħmel il-kummenti tiegħu dwar din il-proposta. Indikatur ewlieni tas-saħħa tas-suq huwa n-numru ta’ ilmenti magħmula mill-konsumaturi. Daqs nofs il-konsumaturi Ewropej li ma jiġux sodisfatti bit-trattament tal-ilmenti oriġinali tagħhom min-negozjanti jduru għall-għajnuna lejn terza persuna bħal xi organizzazzjoni tal-konsumatur jew regolatur. Fl-Ewropa jeżistu daqs 700 organizzazzjoni li jittrattaw l-ilmenti, u l-biċċa l-kbira tagħhom jużaw klassifikazzjoni tagħhom individwali; għalhekk hija diffiċli ħafna li ssir sintesi, anki fuq livell nazzjonali. Il-mira tal-proposta tal-lum hija li jiġi żgurat metodu ta’ klassifikazzjoni li jiffaċilita t-tqabbil tal-ilmenti u li jista’ jintuża mill-organizzazzjonijiet li jiġbru l-ilmenti tal-konsumatur mifruxin mal-UE li mbagħad jibagħtu d-dejta lill-Kummissjoni. L-analizzar tad-dejta miġbura mill-UE kollha jkun mod tajjeb u ta’ għajnuna fil-valutazzjoni ta’ kemm qegħdin jaqdu tajjeb lill-konsumaturi d-diversi setturi u swieq nazzjonali, u jgħin lill-awtoritajiet fuq livell nazzjonali u fuq dak tal-UE biex jidentifikaw dawk is-swieq li mhumiex jaqdu sew lill-konsumaturi. Wara li tkun ġabret u analizzat l-informazzjoni mogħtija lura fil-konsultazzjoni, il-Kummissjoni tirrikkmanda l-verżjoni finali tal-metodoloġija. Il-klassifikazzjoni tal-ilmenti tkun tintuża volontarjament mill-organizzazzjonijiet.
Il-Kummissarju għall-Affarijiet tal-Konsumatur, Meglena Kuneva, qalet: "Meta konsumatur jiddeċiedi li jgħaddi mit-tensjoni u jagħmel l-isforz biex iwassal ilment dan is-soltu jkun ifisser li l-każ huwa serju. U jekk ikun hemm dilluvju ta’ ilmenti simili dan jista’ jkun sinjal qawwi li s-suq mhuwiex jaqdi lill-konsumaturi." Hija żiedet tgħid: "Il-metodu li qegħdin noffru llum huwa intiż biex jiżgura li leħen il-konsumaturi li mhumiex sodisfatti jinstema' ċar u malajr kemm fl-ibliet kapitali tagħhom kif ukoll fi Brussell."
Il-metodu
Il-pjan li ppreżentat illum il-Kummissjoni joffri mod standardizzat li jinġabar ilment, billi jintuża qafas ta’ kriterji komuni għall-klassifikar ta’ każi differenti. Il-kriterji jinkludu, pereżempju, il-mod tal-bejgħ (eż. minn ħanut jew mill-internet), it-tip ta’ negozju (eż. supermarket jew pompa tal-petrol), u l-kategorija tal-prodott (pereżempju oġġetti elettroniċi jew assigurazzjoni tal-ħajja). Huwa maħsub li jintuża minn terzi persuni, bħalma huma awtoritajiet nazzjonali tal-konsumatur, organizzazzjonijiet tal-konsumaturi, ombudsmen, bordijiet dwar l-ilmenti jew regolaturi li jiġbru l-ilmenti. L-organizzazzjonijiet se jkunu jistgħu jagħżlu li jużaw is-sistema tal-klassifika u li jibagħtu d-dejta lill-Kummissjoni volontarjament. Il-Kummissjoni mbagħad tippubblika d-dejta permezz tat-Tabella ta’ Valutazzjoni tas-Swieq tal-Konsumatur.
Fl-2008 il-Kummissjoni talbet l-opinjonijiet tal-partijiet interessati dwar klassifikazzjoni armonizzata mifruxa mal-UE kollha. Tmenin fil-mija ta’ dawk li rrispondew kienu favur l-idea. Fuq hekk, il-Kummissjoni talbet l-għajnuna ta’ grupp ta’ esperti li jirrappreżentaw il-korpi li jiġbru l-ilmenti biex jiġi żviluppat il-pjan li ġie ppreżentat illum.
Għaliex huma siewja l-ilmenti tal-konsumaturi?
Matul is-sena li wasslet għal Frar 2008, kien hemm xi 78 miljun ċittadin Ewropew li ressqu ilment formali lil xi negozjant. Kien hemm 30 miljun min-nies oħra li ma ressqux ilmenti, minkejja li kellhom għalfejn jagħmlu hekk. Daqs nofs dawk li ressqu lment formali ma kinux sodisfatti bil-mod kif ġie ttrattat l-ilment tagħhom. Minn dawk li baqgħu mhumiex sodisfatti, daqs nofshom (xi 20 miljun persuna) talbu l-għajnuna ta’ organizzazzjoni terza.
Ilment ta’ konsumatur huwa fatti reali li jista’ jkun sinjal ta’ problema sistematika fis-suq. Flimkien mas-sodisfazzjon tal-konsumaturi, il-prezzijiet, it-tibdil ta’ dawk li jissupplixxu xi prodott u s-sikurezza, l-ilmenti huma wieħed mill-ħames indikaturi ewlenija li tuża t-Tabella tal-Valutazzjoni tas-Swieq tal-Konsumatur biex ikun magħruf kemm qegħdin jinqdew il-konsumaturi.
Għaliex għandu jkun hemm sistema mifruxa mal-UE kollha?
Minn investigazzjoni magħmula mill-Kummissjoni nstab li hemm ’il fuq minn 700 organizzazzjoni terza li tiġbor l-ilmenti tal-konsumaturi fl-Ewropa. Xi wħud minnhom jużaw sistemi ta’ rapportaġġ avvanzati u dettaljati. Iżda kull waħda tikklassifika l-ilmenti b’mod differenti. Pereżempju, xi korpi jużaw il-kategoriji bħal tal-Paġni s-Sofor filwaqt li xi oħrajn jużaw bħala mudell il-kapitoli tal-leġiżlazzjoni nazzjonali.
B'hekk, dan is-sors prezzjuż ta’ informazzjoni għadu fil-parti l-kbira tiegħu mhux qed jintuża. Minkejja li huma simili l-prodotti u s-servizzi li hemm disponibbli mal-firxa tal-UE kollha, u minkejja li numru mdaqqas minnhom illum il-ġurnata jinbiegħu minn pajjiż għall-ieħor, huwa ta’ spiss diffiċli biex wieħed iqabbel ilment ma’ ieħor, anki fuq livell nazzjonali, aħseb u ara fuq livell Ewropew. Il-frammentazzjoni tad-dejta tnaqqas il-veloċità li biha l-politiċi nazzjonali u Ewropej jirreaġixxu għall-problemi li jiltaqgħu magħhom il-konsumaturi fi swieq speċifiċi.
Min se jibbenefika?
Dawk li se jibbenefikaw l-iżjed huma l-konsumaturi Ewropej stess, dan għaliex iż-żmien li jkun jeħtieġ lill-politiċi nazzjonali u Ewropej biex jirreaġixxu għall-problemi ta’ kuljum tal-konsumaturi għandu jonqos sew.
B'tagħrif iżjed sħiħ tas-swieq tagħhom u b’aktar faċilità li jqabblu ma’ pajjiżi oħra, l-awtoritajiet nazzjonali u r-regolaturi għandhom ikunu jistgħu jirreaġixxu aħjar għat-tendenzi emerġenti. Il-politiċi tal-UE jkunu jistgħu jagħmlu paragun siewi tad-dejta dwar l-ilmenti mifruxa mal-UE ma’ indikaturi oħra ewlenija tas-suq, bħalma huma l-prezzijiet jew it-tibdil tal-fornituri tal-prodotti.
Ħafna organizzazzjonijiet mhux governattivi tal-konsumatur li bħalissa ma għandhomx ir-riżorsi biex jiżviluppaw is-sistemi tagħhom u biex jinfluwenzaw id-deċiżjonijiet politiċi dwar il-konsumatur ’il fuq minnhom se jibbenefikaw ukoll bid-disponibbiltà ta’ metodu lest u ta’ dejta li wieħed jista’ jqabbilha.
Il-passi li jmiss
Il-Kummissjoni tilqa’ l-kummenti dwar il-proposta sal-5 ta’ Ottubru 2009. Ladarba jkunu analizzati l-kummenti, il-Kummissjoni tagħmel rakkomandazzjoni għall-metodoloġija finali.
Għat-test sħiħ tal-Komunikazzjoni, id-dokument tal-ħidma għall-persunal flimkien mal-abbozz tal-metodoloġija u l-kwestjonarju elettroniku:
http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/consultations/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/complaints_en.htm
Għar-riżultat tal-konsultazzjoni pubblika oriġinali:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consultations/complaints/index_en.htm
Għat-Tabella ta' Valutazzjoni tas-Swieq:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/facts_en.htm