Consumer rights and assistance
Compensation for cancelled flights, data privacy online or sustainable investments that are truly sustainable – these are important rights you have as a consumer.
What if the airline won’t refund your money after cancelling your flight, your customer data at an online shop is hacked or the sustainable aspects of a savings plan turn out to be fake? Consumer protection regulations and institutions that provide information and advice offer help in these situations. Protecting consumers is a central pillar of a fair and socially equitable market economy.
What is consumer protection and why is it important?
As consumers, we make numerous decisions every day: picking up groceries, installing new apps on our mobile phones, buying insurance policies online, changing energy providers. The list goes on. Comparing products, understanding prices, rates and terms of service, selecting the right provider or assessing labels are some of the challenges we face in everyday life.
The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) is strengthening all of our consumer rights at national, European and international level and is protecting our interests. These efforts focus in particular on those in need of special protection such as children, young people and low-income households.
How does consumer protection work?
Recognising safe products
Products must be safe for all and pose no health hazards. This is the main objective for the BMUV, which is responsible for regulations on cosmetics, tattoo products and the safety of textiles. The BMUV played a major role in negotiating new regulations on product safety on behalf of Germany at EU level. The ministry is also very active in further developing European legislation on toys, particularly with regard to aspects of chemical standards.
There are a few labels for recognising safe products:
- The GS mark stands for “tested safety” (geprüfte Sicherheit). It is voluntary and federally regulated.
- The CE marking shows that the product fulfils the legal requirements for its product category. The CE marking can only be used for certain products where it is mandatory. It is not required for all products, for example, cosmetic products do not carry the CE marking.
- The VDE mark is backed up by external testing and confirms that an electronic product is safe and uses current technology.
How are consumers protected online?
Digital consumer protection is becoming more and more important. A few examples:
- Special attention needs to be given to online shopping due to the huge selection available and sometimes manipulative user interfaces. There are many cases where ordered products never arrive because payment went to a fake shop.
- Artificial intelligence can draw false and unfair conclusions, for example, in issuing loans, because it assesses your creditworthiness incorrectly on the basis of irrelevant or outdated data. In some situations, the loan may cost you more or not be approved.
- It frequently happens that personal data is stolen or used for purposes that are not in line with data privacy rules. Hate speech and disinformation are widespread on social media.
- The Internet of Things makes household appliances like refrigerators digital and accessible from anywhere. This means they are also vulnerable to misuse of data and hacker attacks.
The Federal Consumer Protection Ministry is working to give consumers online protection that matches their protection in the real world. This includes, in particular, protection and safety for personal data, protection against discrimination, from unconscious influence and preservation of general consumer rights. The ministry is working on laws on these issues. In addition, businesses are being encouraged to voluntarily establish corporate digital responsibility measures that go beyond the legal requirements.
Where can you find independent guidance on consumer choices?
If you need help assessing what you should pay attention to when making purchases, concluding contracts or deciding what deals are credible and safe, Stiftung Warentest can provide guidance. Stiftung Warentest, a foundation set up by the German government, has been testing products and services since 1964. It compares more than 30,000 products annually. The foundation is independent from influence and advertising revenue and finances itself from interest on the foundation capital, sales revenue and licensing fees for its logo.
Consumer associations: providing consumer advice nationwide
There are consumer associations in all 16 federal states. Nationally, there are more than 200 advice centres. Their work is financed by the federal states. Their aim is to provide independent information for consumers on private purchases, give advice, support consumers and offer legal assistance. The consumer associations are all part of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V., vbzv). The vbzv, which also includes 27 other organisations, represents the interests of consumers at federal level. The vbzv receives institutional support from the BMUV.
As a consumer, you benefit from the advantages of the European internal market. For example, you can fly with a Spanish airline or order products from a Belgian retailer. In the case of issues with these kinds of transboundary activities, consumers receive independent support from the European Consumer Centre Germany. This centre is linked to the national consumer centres all around Europe. The BMUV supports the European Consumer Centre Germany.
Where can consumers get help in conflicts with businesses?
If a business has infringed on your rights or you have a specific disagreement with a business, you can take your issue to consumer arbitration. Arbitration services, sometimes called ombuds services, exist for various business sectors. If there is no arbitration service for a specific sector, the General Conciliation Body (Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes) supported by the Federal Justice Ministry can help.
Consumers can also submit complaints about businesses to specific authorities using online portals. The authorities evaluate the complaints and, in some cases, take action against the business. Complaints can be submitted to authorities, for example, on the following sites: