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World Consumer Day:

consumer victories in 2010
successful claims against the telecoms, mobile free customer service or the elimination of ground clauses, among the achievements of

last year
Cristina Garrido / Madrid
ABC AGENCIES, March 15, 2011

increasingly asking for. Behind it is becoming the figure of the passive consumer, who accepts the abuse with impotence. Unity is strength and victories over the big business encourages users to complain and fight for their rights.

Consumer associations highlight the occasion of World Consumer Day, the increase in complaints, particularly on labor issues, air transport, telephone and housing, and encouraged to continue to report these situations.

The year has been hard for users: the rise of light, the price of gasoline drivers strike ... But there have been small victories to show that when consumers come together, their strength is multiplied.

Specifically, they have grown erroneous claims for gas bills, electricity or telephone. In most cases, consumer associations have achieved what the user by itself could not, he quashed the charge. "It was a paradigmatic case of a consumer who was charged 1,000 euros for a zero-second call while flying in aircraft," recalls Ruben Sanchez, a spokesman for Facua. In this case, despite the logical error of the telephone company, the customer did not cancel the bill until the association intervened.

Another case sounded in Spain in 2010 was the Toshiba campaign for the World "If Red wins, you win", promising to return the money to buyers of PCs and TVs of the trademark if the English team winning in South Africa. When the time came, the Japanese company claimed that the promotion was only valid for those who have been registered on its website, a condition which had failed to inform consumers at the time of purchase. But complaints massive channeled Facua, Toshiba managed to reverse and give money back to all buyers, whether registered or not on the web.

Free Customer
Catalonia this year has been a pioneer in the application of rules that consumer associations are calling for a long time: free mobile service clientede essential services. The Catalan Consumer Code requires large companies to offer users a free phone number for inquiries. A half-conquest, since it only enjoy the Catalans. The associations have called on other communities to follow suit, although the ideal would be that the national government to legislate in this regard.

The telecommunications sector is the most reported for breach of bids or informal fees, among other complaints. In this regard, the EU has taken a step forward to curb abusive phone charges when the customer is abroad. Thus, in 2010 has set the price at 11 cents maximum for "sms" among EU countries, and limited to $ 50 billing for roaming, so that when you reach this amount the company must cut the service to avoid exorbitant bills.

Mortgages
An important section in which steps have been favorable to consumers is one that has to do with mortgages. In the last year a court in Seville has ruled in favor of the Association of Users of Financial Services (Ausbanc) that denounced the "unfair" clauses of the floor of BBVA, and Caixanova Cajamar. According to this ruling, the three entities must delete the clause in their contracts variable-rate mortgage at least until the appeal is to be submitted.

At the same time, the Association of Banks, Insurance and Spain (Adicae) has filed a lawsuit against the majority of English banks and building societies to achieve the elimination of the clause in future mortgage and repayment of amounts improperly paid to the bank or earlier.

addition, since Facua encourage demand ever since, in some cases have even managed to delete the clause without going to court.

With respect to mortgages, another pioneering decision in recent months has been the considered that returning the mortgaged floor was enough to settle the debt with the bank. However, the joy of this small victory was short-lived consumer, as another car in a few days confirmed that only with housing debt is not liquidated, according to current law.

To avoid these situations, consumer associations mortgage legislation be amended so that when a person can not pay, housing is sufficient consideration. "The Government has a duty to protect consumers, not just banking," says spokesman Facua.