IP/10/492
Brussels, 4 May 2010
European Consumer Centres act together to help volcanic ash crisis passengers claim their rights
The network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net), supported by the European Commission and operating in all Member States (plus Iceland and Norway), has come out today with a practical complaint package, which is designed to help consumers affected by recent flight disruptions to exercise their consumer rights guaranteed under EU laws. The package includes a standard complaint letter, contact details of all airlines and other practical advice. ECC-Net handles about 60,000 cases annually for consumers who turn to them for advice or for help with problems they experienced while shopping or travelling across borders within the EU. In 2009, more than one in five (22.5%) complaints tackled by ECCs concerned air transport. During the first week of the volcanic ash crisis, the number of cases handled by the network has risen 7 times. From the start, the ECC-Net has been put on full alert, working closely together to ensure co-ordinated assistance to EU consumers.
EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli said: "EU consumer rights apply even in extraordinary circumstances. In fact, talks on aiding the companies which suffered as a result of the ash crisis must be linked to their respect for passenger rights". He added: "Today thousands of consumers affected by flight disruptions are still rightly clamouring for their rights to be respected in practice. My message to them is: do not hesitate to claim what is yours. If an airline or a tour operator continues to ignore your rights, a European Consumer Centre near you can be your next port of call".
European Consumer Centres: direct help for ash crisis victims
The network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net)has been working since the start of the volcanic ash crisis to offer practical help to passengers who got stranded as a result of flight disruptions and are experiencing difficulties having their consumer rights respected. The number of consumers who have contacted ECC-Net for help or advice on air passenger rights has risen seven times during the first week of the crisis compared with the previous week.
Today, the European Commission and the ECC-Net have made available – in all languages of the EU - a practical complaint package which will help consumers effectively claim their rights. The package includes, for example:
A standard complaint letter, available in national languages;
A list of addresses where complaint letters can be sent;
Advice on the use of out-of-court dispute resolution with the company, and the use of the EU small claims procedure, e.g. to claim the refunds due
Answers to frequently asked questions.
What EU rights for the consumers affected by the crisis ?
The Commission has recently published a comprehensive Q&A sheet on the volcanic ash crisis including a summary of the air passenger rights which apply, also including the special case of package travel (see MEMO/10/143).
What complaints related to the crisis has the network handled?
Some examples of the thousands of cases handled by national ECCs include:
ECC Belgium: a traveller on a package holiday was stranded with three children due to a cancelled flight. The tour operator failed to reroute him and refused to cover extra nights in the hotel. As a result, he was rapidly running out of funds, and the hotel threatened to evict him or confiscate his passport.
ECC Ireland: an Irish traveller with a serious medical condition was stranded in Romania. His medication was running out and was unavailable locally, which his doctor confirmed could have serious health consequences. The airline refused to offer him priority on the next available flight, citing overbooking.
What is the daily business of the ECC-Net?
The European Consumer Centres specialise in helping EU consumers who have had problems shopping for goods or services in another EU country. The network handled over 60,000 cases in 2009. The main services offered by ECCs include:
advice on EU-wide and national consumer rights and obligations;
assistance in reaching an amicable solution with the trader;
directing consumers to out-of-court settlement schemes or advice on the use the EU small claims procedure, e.g. to claim a refund.
Consumer complaints in the air transport sector:
In 2009, one in three complaints handled by ECCs concerned transport (33%). Among those, more than 75% concerned air transport. Within the latter group of complaints, almost eight out of ten (79.2%) concerned air passenger rights, while luggage-related complaints (loss of theft) accounted for over 20%.
In the summer of 2010, ECC-Net will finalise a joint project reviewing complaints related to the air transport handled by the network in 2008.
More details:
ECC-Net central site including links to national sites and the complaints package:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/index_en.htm
Case studies: examples of complaints resolved by the ECC-Net:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/success_stories_en.htm
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IP/10/492
Brussell, l-4 ta’ Mejju 2010
Iċ-Ċentri Ewropej tal-Konsumaturi jieħdu azzjoni flimkien biex jassistu lill-passiġġieri milquta mill-kriżi kkawżata mill-irmied vulkaniku fl-ajru ħalli jieħdu dak li għandhom jedd għalih
In-netwerk taċ-Ċentri Ewropej tal-Konsumaturi (ECC-Net), bl-appoġġ tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea u li joperaw fl-Istati Membri kollha (u anki fl-Islanda u n-Norveġja), illum ħareġ pakkett prattiku kif jistgħu jsiru l-ilmenti, li tfassal biex jgħin lill-konsumaturi milquta mit-tħarbit ta' dan l-aħħar fit-titjiriet ħalli jeżerċitaw jeddijiethom bħala konsumaturi kif jiggarantixxu l-liġijiet tal-UE. Il-pakkett jinkludi ittra standard ta' lment, dettalji ta’ min wieħed jista’ jikkuntattja fi ħdan il-linji kollha tal-ajru u pariri prattiċi oħra. Ta' kull sena l-ECC-Net jittratta madwar 60,000 każ ta’ konsumaturi li jirrikorru għandu għall-pariri jew l-għajnuna rigward problemi li jħabbtu wiċċhom magħhom meta jkunu qed jixtru jew jivvjaġġaw bejn pajjiż u ieħor fl-UE. Fl-2009, 'il fuq minn ilment f'ħamsa (22.5 %) li ttrattaw l-ECCs kellhom x'jaqsmu mat-trasport bl-ajru. Matul l-ewwel ġimgħa tal-kriżi tal-irmied vulkaniku, l-għadd ta’ każijiet li ttratta n-netwerk żdied b’7 darbiet. Sa mill-bidu nett, l-ECCs fi ħdan in-Netwerk kienu attivati bi sħiħ, u ħadmu mill-qrib flimkien biex jiżguraw li jkun hemm assistenza koordinata għall-konsumaturi tal-UE.
Fi kliem il-Kummissarju tal-UE għas-Saħħa u l-Politika tal-Konsumatur, John Dalli: “Id-drittjiet tal-konsumaturi tal-UE japplikaw anki f’ċirkustanzi mhux tas-soltu. Fil-fatt, it-taħditiet dwar l-għajnuna lill-kumpaniji li ntlaqtu ħażin mill-kriżi tal-irmied iridu jkunu marbuta mar-rispett min-naħa tagħhom tad-drittijiet tal-passiġġieri”. Huwa żied jgħid: “Illum eluf ta' konsumaturi milquta mit-tħarbit fit-titjiriet għadhom bir-raġun qed jisħqu li drittijiethom jiġu rispettati bil-fatti. Il-messaġġ li ngħaddilhom huwa: toqgħodux lura milli tirrikjedu dak li hu tagħkom. Jekk xi linja tal-ajru jew xi operatur turistiku jibqa’ jinjora drittijietek, il-post li jmiss tirrikorri għandu huwa ċ-Ċentru Ewropew tal-Konsumaturi qrib tiegħek”.
Iċ-Ċentri Ewropej tal-Konsumaturi: għajnjuna diretta għall-vittmi tal-kriżi tal-irmied
In-netwerk taċ-Ċentri Ewropej tal-Konsumaturi (ECC-Net) ilu jaħdem sa minn meta feġġet il-kriżi tal-irmied vulkaniku sabiex joffri għajnuna prattika lill-passiġġieri li ma setgħux jivvjaġġaw minħabba t-tħarbiet fit-titjiriet u li qed iħabbtu wiċċhom ma' diffikultajiet biex id-drittijiet tagħhom bħala konsumaturi jiġu rispettati. L-għadd ta’ konsumaturi li kkuntattjaw lill-ECC-Net għall-għajnuna jew il-pariri dwar id-drittijiet tal-passiġġieri tal-ajru żdied b’seba’ darbiet matul l-ewwel ġimgħa tal-kriżi fuq il-ġimgħa ta’ qabel.
Illum, il-Kummissjoni Ewropea u l-ECC-Net poġġew għad-dispożizzjoni tal-konsumaturi - bil-lingwi kollha tal-UE - pakkett prattiku tal-ilmenti biex jgħinhom jirrikjedu li jiġu rispettati drittijiethom b'mod effettiv. Il-pakkett jinkludi, pereżempju:
- Ittra standard ta’ lment, disponibbli bil-lingwi nazzjonali;
- Lista ta' indirizzi fejn jistgħu jintbagħtu l-ittri bl-ilmenti;
- Parir dwar l-użu ta’ soluzzjoni għat-tilwim mal-kumpaniji barra mill-qorti, u l-użu tal-proċedura tal-UE dwar talbiet żgħar, p.eż. talbiet għar-rimborżi dovuti
- Tweġibiet għal mistoqsijiet li spiss isiru.
X’inhuma d-drittijiet tal-konsumaturi milquta mill-kriżi?
Dan l-aħħar, il-Kummissjoni ppubblikat dokument komprensiv bil-mistoqsijiet u t-tweġibiet dwar il-kriżi tal-irmied vulkaniku li inkludiet sommarju tad-drittijiet applikabbli għall-passiġġieri tal-ajru, bl-inklużjoni wkoll tal-każ speċjali tal-pakketti ta’ vvjaġġar (ara: MEMO/10/143).
X’ilmenti marbuta mal-kriżi ttratta n-netwerk ?
Xi eżempji tal-eluf ta' każijiet trattati mill-ECCs nazzjonali jinkludu:
- ECC tal-Belġju: passiġġier b’pakkett ta' vakanza nqabad barra minn pajjiżu bi tliet itfal minħabba titjira kkanċellata. L-operatur turistiku naqas milli jsiblu rotta oħra u rrifjuta li jkoprilu l-iljieli żejda fil-lukanda. Minħabba f’hekk, bdew jispiċċawlu l-flus, u l-lukanda għedditu li tkeċċih jew tikkonfiskalu l-passaport.
- ECC tal-Irlanda: passiġġier Irlandiż b'kundizzjoni medika serja nqabad ir-Rumanija. Il-mediċina li kellu fuqu kienet waslet biex tispiċċa u ma kinetx disponibbli fil-post fejn kien, li skont konferma tat-tabib tiegħu setgħet kellha konsegwenzi mediċi gravi. Il-linja tal-ajru ċaħditu milli jingħata prijorità fuq it-titjira disponibbli li kien imiss, minħabba li skont hi diġà kellha wisq nies ibbukkjati fuqha.
X’inhuma l-kompiti ta' kuljum tal-ECC-Net?
Iċ-Ċentri Ewropej tal-Konsumaturi jispeċjalizzaw fl-għajnuna lill-konsumaturi tal-UE li jkollhom problemi meta jixtru oġġetti jew servizzi f'pajjiż ieħor tal-UE. In-netwerk ittratta mas-60,000 każ fl-2009. Is-servizzi ewlenin offruti mill-ECCs jinkludu:
- pariri fuq id-drittijiet u d-dmirjiet tal-konsumaturi fl-isfera nazzjonali u f'dik tal-UE;
- assistenza sabiex tintlaħaq soluzzjoni barra mill-qorti mal-kummerċjant;
- direzzjoni tal-konsumaturi lejn skemi ta' soluzzjonijiet bla involviment tal-qorti jew pariri dwar l-użu tal-proċedura tal-UE dwar talbiet zgħar, p.eż. biex jintalab rimborż.
L-ilmenti tal-konsumaturi fil-qasam tat-trasport bl-ajru:
Fl-2009, ilment minn tlieta (33 %) li ttrattaw l-ECCs kellhom x'jaqsmu mat-trasport. Fost dawn, mal-75 % kkonċernaw it-trasport bl-ajru. F'dan l-aħħar grupp ta' lmenti, kważi tmienja minn għaxar ilmenti (79.2 %) ikkonċernaw id-drittijiet tal-passiġġieri tal-ajru, filwaqt li l-ilmenti marbuta mal-bagalji (mitlufa jew misruqa) ammontaw għal aktar minn 20 %.
Fis-sajf tal-2010, l-ECC-Net se jiffinalizza proġett bi sħab li jirrevedi l-ilmenti marbuta mat-trasport bl-ajru ttrattati min-netwerk fl-2008.
Aktar dettalji:
Is-sit ċentrali tal-ECC-Net jinkludi links għas-siti nazzjonali u l-pakkett tal-ilmenti:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/index_en.htm
Studji ta' każijiet speċifiċi: Eżempji ta' lmenti solvuti mill-ECC-Net:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/success_stories_en.htm
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The 'Questions and answers' document" is currently being updated."
Click here for Standard Complaint Form Package Travel in Maltese
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Click here for ADRs' List
The Airlines Association contacts.
http://www.iata.org/membership/Pages/airline_members_list.aspx association of the airlines wordlwide. Direct contact of the Head Offices are provided By clicking on the link you're redirected to the main airline web site
http://www.aea.be/about/memberairlines/index.html association of European airlines. Direct contact of the Head Offices are provided. By clicking on the logo you're redirected to the main airline web site
http://www.eraa.org/airlines.php association of European Regional airlines. Some are already included in IATA website, some are not. By clicking on the link you're redirected to the main airline web site
http://www.elfaa.com/members.htm association of european low cost airlines. By clicking on the logo you're redirected to the main airline web site
http://www.iaca.be/index.cfm?E9B31D6E-65B8-CEEE-A4A1-D03907F4E828 International Air Carrier association. Some of them are not included in previous links. By clicking on the logo you're redirected to the main airline web site
Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association contact.
http://www.ectaa.org/Home/Links/tabid/85/Default.aspx#512
The contacts of ECCs.
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/contact_en.htm
The NEBs' list.
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/air/doc/national_enforcement_bodies.pdf
List of notified small claims procedure.
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/judicialatlascivil/html/sc_information_en.htm?countrySession=21&