Consumer protection

ak

The Carinthian Chamber of Labor has 15 employees working in consumer protection: This service is available to all Carinthians, including non-AK members.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

58,332 consultations, almost 400,000 euros recovered for Carinthians: Impressive figures from consumer protection over the previous year. Chamber of Labor President Günther Goach calls for consumer education as a school subject.

Consumer rights are enforced by consumer protection in the Chamber of Labor, financially supported by the state of Carinthia. Every Carinthian has access to the AK consumer protection service - and often makes use of it: The 15 employees in Consumer Protection recorded 58,332 consultations in the previous year following written, telephone and personal inquiries - a good 4,000 more than in 2023. "Half of the inquiries come from non-employee chamber members, from agriculture, from the self-employed. Consumer protection is there for all Carinthians," says Günther Goach, President of the Carinthian Chamber of Labor.

The biggest price driver is housing. It has always been said that spending a third of income on housing is reasonable. Now it's 55 to 60 percent in some cases.

Günther Goach, AK-Präsident

Operating cost check

From June 1 to July 31 this year, Carinthians can have the highly sought-after operating costs check carried out by the Carinthian Chamber of Labor.

23,329 inquiries about housing alone
According to Goach, rents and operating costs are the biggest price drivers. "There is nothing below 14 euros per square meter on the private market. We are calling for the minimum rental contract period of currently three years to be abolished and for there to be no more time limits," says Goach, as the rent is usually higher in the new contract. Overdraft interest should also be limited to 5 percent.

Stephan Achernig, Günther Goach, AK Deputy Director Irene Hochstetter-Lackner and housing law expert Michael Tschamer took stock of consumer protection in 2024.

(Bild: Thomas Hude)

Consumer education called for as a school subject
"Packaging sizes are a major annoyance. A maximum of 30 percent air is acceptable, everything else is a deceptive package," emphasized the AK President, who also called for a separate consumer education subject at school - currently, such topics are to be covered in other subjects. "A separate school subject is needed so that there are responsible consumers who are aware of the pitfalls on the market and the dangers of internet scams and know what to look out for when it comes to housing and loans." Prevention is also very important, emphasizes Stephan Achernig, head of the consumer protection department, which is why the Chamber of Labour also holds talks at schools.

The number of consultations has increased and the topics have shifted. Whereas in the past it was often about problems with advertising trips, today it is Internet scams. However, the number one topic is housing - tenancy agreements, rent adjustments, operating costs.

Stephan Achernig, Referatsleiter Konsumentenschutz

In addition to the major topic of housing, Carinthians also have many questions about warranties, guarantees, withdrawal from purchase contracts; often it's about the prices of emergency services. "And, of course, Internet purchases, fake stores, fishing and rip-offs via the Internet and the telephone - where we have seen a 52 percent increase in inquiries - are frequent topics in consultations," says Achernig. Travel, especially issues with airlines - here the AK is calling for insolvency protection for airlines - and money, specifically interest and expenses, as well as insurance are also areas in which the consumer protectors help. Klagenfurt were brought in 82 times.

Taken by surprise at the front door
"Doorstep selling is also happening more often again. A pensioner was sold a series of books on his doorstep - for 8,000 euros. He felt he had been taken by surprise. We enforced the withdrawal from the contract," reports Achernig. Instead of carrying out the free mattress cleaning as announced on the phone, someone wanted to sell a 77-year-old pensioner new mattresses including a slatted frame. Again, it was about a resignation.

Achernig can also report on resolved cases in the travel sector: When buying a flight ticket, a ticket store made a mistake in the name when creating the boarding passes, which was not identical to the spelling in the passport. The airline did not want to carry the passengers. They had to book new flights and pay extra, and wanted to have the costs reimbursed by the party responsible for the error, which was only made possible by the intervention of consumer protection.