News
BackEach year, the Consumer Markets Scoreboard reflects the subjective satisfaction of consumers with a wide range of market sectors. The EU Commission would like to use these results to draw conclusions for optimising the single market from a consumer’s point of view. The comprehensive Europe-wide surveys show that customer satisfaction has even further decreased in respect of consumer credits and fuel markets, in particular with regard to subjective trust and price comparability. Austria’s record in the category “complaints” is really not all that good, whereby due to different survey methods and questions the comparability between the Member States is not fully borne out.
Consumer Markets Scoreboard helps EU Member States to optimise their markets
From the point of view of consumers and entrepreneurs, the EU-wide Consumer Markets Scoreboard is definitely useful. Hence, the collected scoreboard data, in particular with regard to the market trust indicator, provide useful information for the Member States to enable them to improve their markets for consumers. The national indices of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard provide the Member States with an overview of consumer friendliness and the mechanics of their markets. Based on this information, the Member States can realign their priorities.
Most important results of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard
When asked, consumers mention above all deficits in respect of services and products in the following markets: “investments, pensions and securities”, “real estate services”, “mortgages”, “TV providers”, “train services”, “electricity services”, internet providers”, “second hand cars”, “mobile phone providers”, “current account”, “loans and credit cards” and “fuels”. The surveys also show that customer satisfaction in respect of “mobile phone providers” has improved. However and in spite of this, in many Member States this market segment remains at the bottom of the satisfaction scale. In Austria, this segment ranks third from the bottom.
From the point of view of Austrian consumers, the market segments “culture and entertainment”, “personal care services” and “holiday accommodation” are at the top of the scale, whereby the segments “investments, pensions and securities”, “real estate services”, as well as the category “mobile phone providers” occupy the bottom.
Due to the bad results of the surveys with regard to consumer credits (mortgages, loans and credit cards), the Commission announces in the conclusions of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard a revision of the Consumer Credit Directive for 2013. Apart from that, the EU Commission would like to examine in more detail, why there is major consumer dissatisfaction in respect of fuel. Price fluctuations in this segment would not only be the result of international market developments but had also to be examined with regard to unfair business practices.
In order to make data compiled by the surveys even more comparable, the EU Commission is currently negotiating with the Member States to adopt a harmonised compilation method. This should further strengthen the single market for the consumers.
Associated link:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumer_research/editions/docs/6th_edition_scoreboard_en.pdf
From the point of view of consumers and entrepreneurs, the EU-wide Consumer Markets Scoreboard is definitely useful. Hence, the collected scoreboard data, in particular with regard to the market trust indicator, provide useful information for the Member States to enable them to improve their markets for consumers. The national indices of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard provide the Member States with an overview of consumer friendliness and the mechanics of their markets. Based on this information, the Member States can realign their priorities.
Most important results of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard
When asked, consumers mention above all deficits in respect of services and products in the following markets: “investments, pensions and securities”, “real estate services”, “mortgages”, “TV providers”, “train services”, “electricity services”, internet providers”, “second hand cars”, “mobile phone providers”, “current account”, “loans and credit cards” and “fuels”. The surveys also show that customer satisfaction in respect of “mobile phone providers” has improved. However and in spite of this, in many Member States this market segment remains at the bottom of the satisfaction scale. In Austria, this segment ranks third from the bottom.
From the point of view of Austrian consumers, the market segments “culture and entertainment”, “personal care services” and “holiday accommodation” are at the top of the scale, whereby the segments “investments, pensions and securities”, “real estate services”, as well as the category “mobile phone providers” occupy the bottom.
Due to the bad results of the surveys with regard to consumer credits (mortgages, loans and credit cards), the Commission announces in the conclusions of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard a revision of the Consumer Credit Directive for 2013. Apart from that, the EU Commission would like to examine in more detail, why there is major consumer dissatisfaction in respect of fuel. Price fluctuations in this segment would not only be the result of international market developments but had also to be examined with regard to unfair business practices.
In order to make data compiled by the surveys even more comparable, the EU Commission is currently negotiating with the Member States to adopt a harmonised compilation method. This should further strengthen the single market for the consumers.
Associated link:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumer_research/editions/docs/6th_edition_scoreboard_en.pdf