Who we are
The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) has 30 branches in all 28 EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In Austria, the ECC is part of the Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI), the Austrian Consumer Information Association.
For more than 15 years, these centres have been providing consumers with problems in cross-border transactions within the participating European countries with free and individual information, advice and support.
help and advice for consumers in Europe
What problems can ECCs help with?
The network helps EU citizens to enforce their rights as consumers and take advantage of the benefits of the internal market. It deals with consumer-related issues such as online shopping, buying abroad, air travel, package holidays, passenger rights, timeshare, information on lottery fraud and fraudulent online offers, car rental and much more.
- We offer advice on your rights before buying goods or services in the EU, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom.
- We offer assistance in contacting a foreign trader if you have problems in resolving your complaint.
- We offer consumers living abroad free assistance in finding a solution to problems with an Austrian retailer.
- We can advise you on other ways of resolving disputes if no amicable solution can be found.
How we fulfil our mission
The legal experts of the ECC-Net help consumers to solve their cross-border problems free of charge by providing them with in-depth legal expertise.
The network provides a unique overview and reliable information on consumer affairs in the internal market that can be used for policy-making in cooperation with European and national stakeholders.
This short (german language) video gives an example of the cooperation between the European Consumer Centres in Austria and Germany. The strength of the ECC Network lies in the expertise and cooperation of over 150 networked lawyers in the service of consumer protection in 30 countries of the European Economic Area EEA.
3 Conditions for our intervention:
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Your complaint concerns a contract between a consumer and a commercial company.
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The contract is cross-border within the EU: the consumer lives in Austria and the company has its headquarters in another EU member state, Norway, Iceland or Great Britain. It is important that the company has its headquarters there. It is therefore not a matter of branches or the headquarters of a debt collection agency that collects debts on behalf of the company.
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You have at least once demonstrably contacted the company yourself to obtain a solution. However, you have not received any relevant or only a negative reply from this company for 2 weeks.
EU-Hotline 0043 / 1 / 588 77 81
This is a special service which allows all consumers from all over Austria to obtain advice by telephone. From Monday to Thursday between 9.00 and 13.00 hrs, enquiries about cross-border problems can be made or information obtained. With the Europe-Hotline we guarantee a quick immediate contact with our staff and in most cases immediate assistance.
Settlement of complaints free of charge
It is particularly important to actively support consumers in enforcing their rights in other European countries. If you would like us to take action, please send an e-mail to info@europakonsument.at. Please attach a brief description of the facts of the case, all correspondence with the company and all relevant documents.
There are no costs within the scope of our activities.
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