European Consumer Centre

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Online chat with the ECC director

Summary of the on-line interview on idnes.cz

Czechs have increased their interest in shopping abroad. They buy clothes, electronics or food in foreign countries or via internet. Sometimes problems appear when shopping or on-line shopping in the EU countries, Norway or Iceland and that is when the Czechs can get a free advice on their consumer rights at the European Consumer Centre for the Czech Republic.

“We are ready to help consumers in setting their complaints as to the quality of products and service being bought, complaints concerning behaviour of professionals in other EU Member States, Norway and Iceland. We give advices and information on the consumer rights on the European market,” described the ECC director Tomáš Večl.

“The ECC can also advice in the matter of extrajudicial solving of the disputes between a consumer and a trader and it also can help consumers from the EU countries, Norway and Iceland in their disputes with Czech traders,” Večl added. He also said that the centre doesn't help Czech consumers in their national cases nor consumers who have problems with traders in the USA.

The readers were interested in the best form of payments for their cross-border e-shopping. In Večl's opinion the most expensive way is a bank transfer. “I can recommend payments via bank credit cards through a safe payment gate. Also alternative forms of payments have developed, for example electronic wallets.”

Another question touched the problem of taxation of goods. Vecl said that the consumer pays the VAT only once – in the country where he buys the goods. “After entering the EU we are on the common inner market. As a consumer you once paid the VAT in the foreign country and that is all you have to do, no matter the differences in the VAT among the member states,” he answered.

The number of Czechs who complain about traders' behaviour abroad has increased. “We used to deal more with foreigners' complaints, now the situation has changed. The reason for this is that the Czechs are more getting used to shopping abroad,” Večl told MF Dnes.

The ECC participates in cases of refunding from air craft companies or e-shops and of problems with delivery of ordered goods and so forth. The whole chat you can find here (in Czech).