Consumer Rights Protection Lawyer Services

Consumer rights protection is an important and relevant topic today. Each of us, acting as a consumer, has the right to honesty, quality, and reliability of goods/services. But sometimes we may encounter situations where our rights are violated. In such cases, it is important to have the support and protection of a legal company like DextraLaw. Our lawyers and attorneys will help protect the interests of their clients and ensure justice.

Consumer Rights Violation – Consumer Deception

Consumer rights violations and deception become a fact when companies or sellers engage in dishonest actions to lure consumers into buying goods or services. This can include false representation in the market of goods or services, hidden costs, inflated promises, insufficient information about products, or false depiction of their characteristics. Such actions are aimed at creating an illusion of advantage or benefit for the consumer with the aim of increasing sales volumes.

Consumer rights violations through deception have various negative consequences for consumers. Firstly, consumers find themselves deceived, as under the influence of dishonest actions they are forced to buy goods/services that do not meet their expectations or needs. Secondly, this leads to financial losses, as consumers are forced to overpay for goods or services that do not have the value promised to them.

New Law “On Consumer Rights Protection”

The “On Consumer Rights Protection” law is aimed at ensuring a high level of protection of domestic consumers’ rights. Its essence lies in regulating relationships between users and suppliers of goods and services with the purpose of ensuring fair, safe, and quality consumption conditions. The law stipulates the rights and duties of both consumers and enterprises providing goods and services.

The new “On Consumer Rights Protection” law was signed in early July 2023. This law is geared towards aligning the national legislation on consumer rights protection with EU standards and harmonizing the consumer rights protection system in our country.

Among the main innovations, it’s worth noting:

• Updating terminology and definitions, including in the context of e-commerce.
• Introduction of a Unified State Web Portal for consumers in the e-commerce sector (e-Buyer Portal), which will provide information about e-commerce entities and consumer rights protection.
• Introduction of a verified suppliers’ electronic platform.
• Defining consumers’ rights when purchasing substandard food products.
• Restricting access to a business entity’s website after the State Consumer Service appeals to the provider in case of legislative violations.
• Strengthening the powers of the State Consumer Service, including in terms of interaction with business entities and filing lawsuits to protect consumer rights.

The law also includes new norms regarding language information about products, including data placement on packaging and providing information in the state language.

This law will be an important step in protecting consumer rights in Ukraine and contributes to the improvement of the quality of goods and services offered in the country’s market.

What documents should be attached to complaints to the State Consumer Service and/or a lawsuit to protect consumer rights?

When filing a complaint with the State Consumer Service and/or a lawsuit to protect consumer rights, it is recommended to attach the following documents:

• Copy of the contract or receipt for the purchase of goods or services.
• Copy of all correspondence that took place with the supplier, where the consumer’s requirements and the supplier’s responses are mentioned.
• Copy of product or service inspection reports, if such inspections were conducted by government agencies.
• Copy of payment documents, if there were disputed issues regarding the payment for goods or services.
• Copy of all evidence confirming the violation of consumer rights, such as photographs, videos, witness statements, and so on.
• Copy of documents confirming the negative impact on the rights and interests of the consumer. This could be medical reports, information on damages, and so on.

In what cases can a consumer also complain to the AMCU?

The consumer can file a complaint with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) in cases where they have become a victim of violations of antitrust legislation, which concerns unfair competition, monopolistic activities, restriction of competition in the market, abuse of a dominant position by a business entity, and so on.

Below are some of the cases when a consumer has the right to file a complaint with the AMCU:

• When there is an abuse of a dominant position by a business entity in the market, leading to restriction of competition and harming other market participants.
• The company uses unfair or manipulative actions to attract consumers to purchase their products.
• The consumer has become a victim of false or misleading marketing information, leading to deceptive actions or the purchase of non-competitive goods.
• A monopolistic business entity operates in the market, controlling prices and conditions of sale of goods/services.
• The consumer observes violation of competition rules or the commission of other actions that harm competition in the market.

To file a complaint with the AMCU, the consumer should provide relevant evidence of violation of antitrust laws and specify particular facts confirming their complaint. The AMCU will conduct the appropriate investigation and make a decision on the violator of the legislation if the violation is identified.

How we can help

The legal firm DextraLaw offers professional support and protection of the interests of consumers facing violations of rights during the process of purchasing goods or services. Our lawyers understand your rights as a consumer, so they are more than willing to help protect you from unfair practices by sellers or manufacturers.

We provide professional legal consultation, assist in drafting complaints to the State Consumer Service, and also prepare lawsuit filings to protect consumer rights in court. Our goal is to help you achieve a fair resolution of the situation and restore justice.

Our Advantages:

• Expertise. The consumer rights attorneys at DextraLaw have a deep understanding of the legislation and practice, which allows them to provide effective protection of the interests of each client.
• Affordable service costs. We understand the importance of making legal assistance available to all. Therefore, we offer competitive and reasonable prices to our clients without compromising on the quality of services provided.

Questions and Answers