Increasingly complex products and services make it difficult for consumers to make purchasing decisions. Furthermore, many consumers find it difficult to enforce their rights in case of conflict. Hence consumer-friendly regulations and independent consumer advice services are of great importance. But many consumers do not know or do not use existing advice services in Germany. Hence the question is whether decentral models of consumer advice could and should be used to also particularly reach out to vulnerable consumer groups.
At a conference hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation ConPolicy-Director, Prof Dr Christian Thorun, presents study results on whether advice services which are routed in districts can and should be used to improve consumer advice. The study results will be discussed with Ulrich Kelber (Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection), Inge Blask (Spokesperson oft he SPD-Forum Consumer Policy), Wolfgang Schuldzinski (Director of the Verbraucherzentrale NRW), Anke Brummer-Kohler (Director in the German Federal Ministry for Environment and Building) as well as Katja Niggemeier from L.I.S.T. GmbH.