Legal consultations

An authorized consumer association may provide practical and legal information and free legal consultations to consumers requesting it on consumer issues related to its field of intervention.

However, in order to benefit from more detailed legal consultations, in particular in the context of a dispute with a third party, the consumer must join the association. The amount of membership varies from association to association.

Mediation and amicable settlement of disputes

Accredited consumer associations play a role in the amicable settlement of disputes between consumers and traders, acting as intermediaries or mediators, to avoid systematic recourse to justice.

Their aim is to enable disputes to be resolved quickly and fairly, without going through lengthy and costly legal procedures.

Legal defense of individual interests

Authorized national associations may take civil action to stop or prohibit any action unlawful and seek compensation for the damage suffered by several consumers caused by the same trader having the same origin via joint or group action.

More specifically, joint action can be brought before all courts (civil, criminal) and group action shall be exercised only in civil courts.

Group proceedings relate only to compensation for pecuniary damage (in money) resulting from material damage suffered by consumers. For example, the association may defend the owners of a dwelling against a company of the building that has carried out defective repairs that damage the building. The property damage exists because owners must take measures either to relocate or to have the consequences of the wrong intervention repaired.

Legal defense of collective interests

Only an approved national association may to bring a civil action where facts cause direct or indirect damage to the collective interest of consumers.

It can thus ask the judge to order a professional, possibly under penalty payment, the following acts:

• Cease acts that are not in accordance with the law or are dangerous
• Delete an illegal clause in the standard contract it offers to consumers or in any contract in the course of performance.

The association may also ask the judge to:

• Order the deletion of an unfair term or to disregard it in all identical contracts concluded by a given trader with consumers which are in the course of performance
• Obliging the trader concerned to inform, by all means and at his own expense, the consumers concerned by such a clause.

Information and awareness-raising for consumers on their rights

An accredited consumer association often publishes comparative studies, satisfaction surveys, and practical guides that help consumers make informed choices.

Investigative power

Some recognized associations, particularly the larger ones, may conduct surveys and studies on products and services.

For example, they can carry out comparative tests on consumer goods and publish the results to alert or advise consumers.

Lobbying action

In principle, their lobbying efforts aim to protect the general interest of consumers. To do this, approved associations can act in different ways:

• They are consulted by the government in the development of new consumer laws or regulations. For example, they can participate in debates on personal data protection laws (such as the GDPR), online consumer rights, or deceptive marketing practices.
• They sit on a number of advisory committees or forums for social and economic dialog, where they can make the point of view of consumers.
• They run campaigns to push through consumer-friendly reforms. This can include petitions, expert reports, or concrete proposals to members of Parliament and senators. They defend topics such as improving the legal guarantees for products, combating planned obsolescence.
• They organize information campaigns to mobilize public opinion around issues such as abusive banking fees or unfair commercial practices.

Choose an approved association

It exists 15 approved national consumer associations. Each has specific areas of intervention.

Contact the association

You can do it online, by phone or on site.