FAQs

You can always go to a court. The court with jurisdiction over your permanent address in the European Union is competent to hear your dispute.

Your rights can also be protected in collective action proceedings. Such cases are brought when the number of affected persons is big, for example, by the actions of a trader who has a significant market share and has affected the rights of many of his customers-consumers.

European legislation requires that the process of conciliation between a consumer and a trader, as part of the methods of alternative dispute resolution, be low-fee.

In Bulgaria, we have bodies under the Consumer Protection Commission that work free of charge. Notified bodies have rules of operation and possibly tariffs that are published on their websites. You can find detailed information there.

The procedure before an ADR body lasts from 30 to 90 days, depending on the complexity of the case.

The trader's participation in a consumer dispute is voluntary and not mandatory.

No alternative dispute resolution body can force a trader to participate in a conciliation procedure with a consumer.

You should clearly explain what you think is wrong in your relationship with the trader.

Try to briefly formulate what went wrong.

Always attach a payment document if the subject of the dispute is a purchased product.

Always attach a contract with the trader, if you have one.

You can always contact an Alternative Dispute Resolution Body. You can find a list of notified bodies at this address: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/?event=main.adr.show2

Choose a notified body and contact it for assistance.

File a complaint.

Attach all the evidence you have that is relevant to the dispute with the trader.

Actively cooperate with the notifying body and provide information in good faith.

The world we live in is changing every day. There are almost no state or geographical borders for trade and the provision of services. We live and consume in a global “village”. The traders we deal with are increasingly large, with huge service teams. Sometimes they do not work in a way that protects consumer rights qualitatively. That is why the Member States of the European Union do everything possible, with supranational and national legislation, to protect consumers.

No one is too small to have full rights.

You have an unlimited right to seek protection in any case where:

• You do not receive complete information from the trader about goods or services provided;
• You do not receive the information you are looking for, it is hidden from you or is provided to you in a way that you cannot absorb it, including in the event that you have a disability that does not allow you to perceive with all your senses;
• You do not receive assistance from a trader regarding a complaint and/or otherwise;
• You cannot use a product warranty service;
• You have become a victim of misleading actions by a trader;
• You have concluded a contract in which there are unfair conditions (to your detriment);
• You have become a victim of fraud;
• You have become a victim of geo-blocking;
• In any case where you believe that your rights have been affected.

If you are an individual who has relations with traders - commercial companies, individuals practicing liberal professions or others, and you receive a service or goods are delivered to you under a formal or informal contract, then you have the status of a consumer within the meaning of the Consumer Protection Act.