These are the practical results of the project “Facilitating Consumer Access to Protection Mechanisms and Complaint Resolution.” They were presented by the European Consumer Protection Center of Moldova.
According to Mihaela Pascal, the center’s executive director, the project was initiated due to changes in the complaint-filing mechanism. Specifically, this was due to the elimination of the requirement for economic operators to maintain a complaint registry.
As she explained, in the absence of a single tool available at the point of sale or service delivery, there was a need to develop solutions that would help consumers understand where and how they could file a complaint, and help professionals properly process the received requests.
“We began this project with a very specific problem: many consumers did not know how to file a complaint or what steps to take, while specialists needed greater clarity on how to review and resolve them,” said Michaela Pascal.
Over the course of 12 months, the center’s staff communicated directly with consumers, companies, government agencies, and lawyers, and this experience formed the basis for the guidelines they developed.
Where to Turn
As Aurica Butnar, program manager at the European Union Delegation to Moldova, noted during the presentation, other tools have been developed in recent years to facilitate citizens’ access to information and mechanisms for protecting their rights.
There is a Consumer Support Center with a single contact number, an online platform for submitting petitions integrated into the “Electronic Democracy” platform, as well as the European Consumer Rights Protection Center in Moldova, where citizens can turn for free assistance.
As Logos Press previously reported, this is a nongovernmental organization that has been operating in Moldova for over two years, similar to its counterparts in EU member states.
It was established in Moldova by the independent analytical center Expert Grup as part of the project “Strengthening the Consumer Protection System in the Republic of Moldova.”
The organization is dedicated to promoting consumer rights, providing advice, and raising awareness. In particular, it offers Moldovan and European citizens legal information and assistance in cross-border disputes.
