Consumer protection - Slightly fewer consultations at the Hessian consumer advice center
The number of consultations at the Consumer Center Hessen has slightly decreased last year. There were roughly 57,000, which is four percent less than in 2022, stated Chairman Philipp Wendt. However, the demand is still significantly higher than before Corona or the energy crisis.
The majority of inquiries were about contract law and complaints (34 percent). This was followed by energy law consultations (27 percent) and financial matters (16 percent).
High demand for energy-related matters
The high demand in the energy savings advice sector shows that the energy crisis is not yet over. In addition, there is movement in the offers again. "Since changing energy suppliers was hardly possible and not recommended for a long time during the energy crisis, there are now offers significantly below the former price caps for electricity and gas," explained consumer advocates. Therefore, they recommend checking for a switch of energy providers again. However, they also warned that energy discounts, "which have illegally increased prices or discounts during the energy crisis," are once again being listed prominently on commercial comparison portals.
Consultations in rural areas
A particular challenge for politics, according to Chairman Wendt, is the expansion of consumer advice in rural areas. "The majority of people in Hessen live in rural areas. They also have a claim to professional advice," he explained. Therefore, the consultation offers in the cities are usually better developed. "We demand that the politics financially equip us so that we can also give comparable advice to people outside the metropolitan areas," he added.
During the Corona pandemic, many people from rural areas had taken advantage of telephone or virtual advice. Now, as people return to personal advice, they don't want to lose it, said Wendt. And: In times when people are skeptical about democracy and the rule of law, consumer advice has a special significance. In their coalition agreement, the state government highlights the importance of a low-threshold consumer advice. The advice should also be available decentrally in rural areas, it states.
Multiple lawsuits against Reichsbürger
15 pending lawsuits, a representative lawsuit, and 55 warnings were recorded in the area of enforcement. The Hessian Consumer Center was the first to take action against providers from the Reichsbürger milieu federally. The background is that the information in the imprint must correspond to German law. Instead, an online provider for vital substances and superfoods lists the "Kingdom of Germany" as the supervisory authority. "We cannot let these people deceive and confuse consumers with fantasy states," said Wendt. Legal action has been taken against the operators. In addition, the company was prohibited from advertising with misleading health and disease promises, as stated. The online merchant from Frankfurt did not appear for oral proceedings and has filed an appeal against the default judgment.
Campaign "Write your letters"
The campaign "Write your letters" was launched to raise awareness of the importance of consumer protection and to encourage consumers to write letters to their elected representatives. The Consumer Center Hessen provided a template for a letter and addressed it to the Hessian Minister for Consumer Protection and Food Safety. The goal was to ensure that consumer protection remains a priority in Hesse. The campaign was well-received and received numerous letters from consumers. The Consumer Center Hessen was pleased about the great response and will continue to advocate for consumer protection.
With the introduction of the campaign "Get your mail in order" at the end of 2023, the Consumer Center aims to help people who might be overwhelmed by their mail. "Many people don't open their mail regularly. This leads to losing track of open demands, missing legal deadlines, and in the worst case, uncontested court titles," said Gabriele Wolff, head of the advisory center Frankfurt. In the context of the campaign, assistance will be provided in sorting through the mail at the advisory centers. "I was surprised by how much resistance the people had in coming to us and dealing with their mail. Some have apologized for the many letters."
- Despite a four percent decrease in consultations last year, the Consumer Advice Center in Hesse still sees a significantly higher demand than before the Coronavirus or the energy crisis, particularly in regards to electricity-related matters.
- Chairman Wendt highlighted the challenge of expanding consumer advice to rural areas where the majority of Hesse's population resides, urging politics to financially support the center to provide comparable advice outside metropolitan areas.
- The Consumer Center Hesse took legal action against an online provider from Frankfurt, who listed the "Kingdom of Germany" as the supervisory authority in violation of German law, deceptively misleading and confusing consumers with fantasy states.
- The Consumer Center Hessen launched the campaign "Write your letters" to advocate for consumer protection and encourage consumers to write to their elected representatives, emphasizing its importance in maintaining a focus on consumer protection in Hesse.
