The Consumer Council concludes: About NIS 15 million was returned to consumers this year

In 2021, the Consumer Council received about 74,000 applications, of which 74% were found to be justified.

During this period, a sum of about NIS 15 million was returned to consumers.

This situation reflects a significant increase in complaints, mainly communications, distance selling, tourism, culture and leisure, which also led to the expansion of the council's activities.

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03/01/2022

Monday, 03 January 2022, 11:39 Updated: 13:54

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The Consumer Council concludes 2021. The council is naturally interested in emphasizing their activities for consumers in Israel, after receiving criticism - together with the Competition Authority, in the latest State Comptroller's report, which claims that regulatory bodies that are supposed to protect consumers are not doing their job faithfully.

Despite the criticism, presents Council data indicating the action in the field throughout the year: in 2021 received the Consumer Council 73,839 complaints across all channels (system complaints, telephone (senior citizens, legal advice and a line of deposit), chat bot, and an incomprehensible speech.

The findings of Two " Public inquiries in 2021 show that there has been a massive increase in complaints about distance selling (64 percent of complaints), continued the increase in this area during the Corona crisis, due to the inability to choose between frontal purchase and online purchase, and the fact that inexperienced consumers were added. An area that will create a fertile ground for the exploitation of consumers in general, and vulnerable populations in particular.

The Israel Consumer Council has addressed new legal issues regarding the impact of the crisis on the existence of consumer contracts, and finding solutions for providing effective assistance and conduct in an environment of complex decision-making in a routine of uncertainty.

One way to deal with the plethora of complaints was through the wording of small lawsuits for free download on the council website to help consumers exercise their rights, and get their money back.

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Massive increase of 64% in complaints about distance buying (Photo: ShutterStock)

The leading complaints - against communications companies

Complaints against telecommunications companies continue to lead the list of complaints.

Ace Communications, a company that systematically violated the terms of the permit and mainly harmed weakened consumers, was shut down.

Most of the complaints were received due to continued charges after the customer's request to disconnect from the service, delay in crediting customers, excessive charges, misleading consumers, lack of response in customer service centers and technical support and more.

The council appealed to the Ministry of Communications to stop its activities.

The minister banned her from recruiting new subscribers for four months, and later the court also decided to close it.

Other areas on which many complaints have been received are in the field of appliances, tourism, furniture and kitchens, and complaints regarding clothing.

There has been a significant rise in complaints in the food sector, mainly against retail chains.

Continued charges after the customer requests to disconnect from the service (Photo: ShutterStock)

Businesses roll the responsibility on consumers

The first half of 2021 was marked by a "return to routine" and therefore the council experienced a decline in tourism and events in the first half of the year, but with the proliferation of red countries and consumer confusion towards the end of the civil year there has been a massive increase.

The council notes that although more than two years have passed since the Corona crisis began, many businesses have yet to make a full refund following cancellations of deals during the crisis, and in the areas of events and tourism have not been prepared for the fourth and fifth wave.

The council believes that although the closures, declaration of red states and directives from the Ministry of Health on reducing crowds, also harm dealers, they are expected at this stage of the virus outbreak to prepare accordingly (insurance, protection mechanisms, regulation and harm reduction for them and their customers), and not continue in full responsibility. And the damage to consumers.

Although they had time to prepare, many tourism operators did not insure themselves against cancellation options and shifted the entire responsibility to the customer (Photo: ShutterStock, PR)

A unit has been set up to prevent errors in advertising

In 2021, the Israel Consumer Council expanded its civil enforcement system for the benefit of consumers, and launched the unit for preventing errors in advertising, which scans publications in the field and in the media, and examines whether there is a fear of misleading, addresses a warning letter to the advertiser.

• Total examined 570 reports, of which 190 were allegedly deceptive advertising.

• deceptions leading areas: electrical and electronic; clothing and fashion; health; consumer products; furniture.

• The nature of the defect leader: Trick terms of the offer. Followed by: a conflict between the information in this publication it presents deals site / business.

• deceptions of 190 117 publications have been successfully treated.

• 32 mistakes found in advertising intended specifically for women, compared with 8 (!) aimed at men only.

• how published: most deceptions were discovered in the papers and sectoral / local newspapers. then list : Publications in the national press and publications in malls.

Type of publication: 79% of the publications in which errors were found are in the field of promotions.

Only 19% are image publications.

The Consumer Council has expanded its activities to other areas: health, finance and insurance.

The council's activity in the field of class actions has also been expanded, targeting mainly corporations that cause injustice to the consumer public and especially to the weakened populations among them.

The council filed 12 objections to compromise agreements and requests to join as a friend of the court, and about 10 class actions.

• Of money

• consumption

Tags

• The Consumers Council

• consumption

• Complaints

• Transactions