Report to the Swedish Consumer Agency

Questions and answers about reporting to us

• What can you report?

  You can report companies and products that do not comply with consumer rights legislation.

  Marketing

  Marketing is what a company says about its product or service. Examples include ads on the internet, TV, radio or in newspapers. You can report if you think a company's marketing is incorrect. You can also report if you think a company has an unfair sales method.

  Examples of when you can report:

  • It is not clear that it is an advertisement.
  • Contact details for the company are missing or hard to find.
  • The information is misleading.
  • You have tried to return a broken item, but the company says you have no right to cancel.
  • The company encourages children to nag their parents to buy something.
  • The information about quality or price is incorrect or misleading.
  • The seller is aggressive or pushy.
  • The company sends an item or invoice without you ordering anything.

  Contract terms

  You enter into a contract when you buy something, sign up for a subscription, order tickets or book a hotel room. The terms of the contract must be reasonable. A contract must not include terms that do not comply with the Consumer Sales Act or other laws that protect you as a consumer. These are called unfair contract terms. You can report these to us.

  Examples of when you can report:

  • The contract is written in a way that is unclear.
  • The contract gives the seller unreasonable advantages.
  • The contract violates the law and gives you fewer rights than you have according to the law.

  An exception is when you buy from a private individual. Then the Sales of Goods Act applies, and you and the seller agree on the terms yourselves.

  Price information

  You must receive correct and clear information about the price. You can report if the price information is incorrect or lacking. Examples include when the price is shown without VAT, or when the comparison price is missing.

  You can also report if the company states a reduced price without informing about the previous price.

  Spam and junk mail

  Companies are not allowed to send advertisements via email or SMS that you have not approved. Such advertisements are called spam or junk mail. You can report if you receive spam or junk mail.

  Lack of safety for goods and services

  A good or service is safe if it does not pose any risk, or only a low risk, to your health and safety when used normally. You can report goods and services that are not safe.

  Examples of what you can report:

  • Toys for children under 3 years old that have small parts that can come loose or strings that could strangle the child.
  • Baby carriages with loose handles or brakes that do not work.
  • Furniture that is not stable or properly constructed.
  • Helmets that do not work properly.
  • Lack of competence from an instructor.
  • If you have not received enough information about safety during an activity you participate in.
  • If an incident or accident could have been prevented during an activity you participate in or a service you have purchased.

  Travel rights

  You can report if your rights were not respected during a journey. You can report journeys by plane, boat, bus, train, taxi, tram or underground. You can also report package travels, language trips and travel agency services.

  Discrimination against passengers with disabilities

  You can report if you due to a disability:

  • were not allowed to book a ticket
  • had to pay extra for your ticket
  • were not allowed to board
  • did not get the assistance you needed
  • did not get the seat you had reserved.

  You can also report if you have not received information about your rights in a form that is accessible to you, even though you have asked for it.

• What happens after you make a report?

  We register your report in our official records. You will not receive personal help after sending your report.

  We review reports about dangerous goods or services. We assess whether to open a supervision case or not.

  Reports about other issues may lead to a supervision case. You who made the report does not take part in the case.

  How we work

  We can start a supervisory case when we learn about a problem that has significant importance for many consumers. We can receive information about the problem in many ways. Reports are one way. It may also come through contact with other authorities or from external monitoring and analysis.

  1. We prioritise

  We focus on the problems that are most urgent for consumers. We investigate how much consumer harm a certain business practice causes or can cause.

  You will not be informed whether your report led to a supervision case or not.

  2. We contact the company

  When we have opened a supervisory case, we inform the company about the suspected violation. The company must respond on how they will rectify the problem.

  Sometimes we need more information from the company before we can decide if a violation has occurred.

  3. We close the case or hand it over to the Consumer Ombudsman

  We close the case if the company agrees to rectify the problem or makes sure the good or service is safe. We may also close the case if the company responds, and we find they have done nothing wrong.

  In cases concerning the safety of goods and services, we can order companies to rectify the deficiencies. In extreme cases, we can prohibit a company from selling a certain product or service. Companies can also receive a penalty fee for violations.

  Other cases where we do not reach an agreement with the company can be referred to the Consumer Ombudsman. Consumer Ombudsman can issue a prohibition order or an order to provide information. Consumer Ombudsman can also take the case to court.

  Consumer Ombudsman (In Swedish)

  The Swedish Consumer Agency's Supervision (In Swedish)

  Reports that do not become supervisory cases

  Your report is important to us regardless of whether it leads to a supervisory case. Reports provide us with valuable information about consumer problems in the markets.

  All reports are saved in our official records and they may become relevant in the future.

  Search in our official records (In Swedish)

• How to supplement a report?

  Contact us if you want to add something to a report you have made yourself.

  Contact Us

• Can you report by letter instead?

  You can report by letter if you do not want to report online.

  We need to know:

  • which good or service you are reporting
  • the name of the company
  • the location (if your report concerns a physical store)
  • the website address (if your report concerns online shopping).

  Please also tell us:

  • briefly what happened
  • if any damage occurred
  • your contact details.

  Include pictures as proof of what you are reporting. This can be copies of receipts, contracts or invoices.

  Send your report to:

  Konsumentverket
  Box 48
  651 02 Karlstad

  konsumentverket@konsumentverket.se

• Do you need help in a dispute with a company?

  You will not receive any personal assistance in your case when you report to us. If you want help, you can contact our advisors or a consumer advisor in your municipality.

  Our information service to consumers

  Do you want your case reviewed?

  The National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) reviews disputes between consumers and companies. ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

  It costs SEK 150 to report to ARN.

  A normal processing time is about 6 months.

  ARN's website