European Consumer Center in Spain (CEC) and ODR Platform

European Consumer Center in Spain (CEC)

El European Consumer Center in Spain (CEC) is a public office consumer service that is responsible for offer information and assistance in consumer matters to those citizens who are in a European country other than their own.

It is part of the Network-CEC (ECC-Net), a network created and managed by the European Commission to inform, advise, assist and support consumers in member countries. There's a center in each of the Member States of the European Union, in addition to the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland.

Location and functions

Location

In Spain, the CEC office is at C/ Príncipe de Vergara, 54, and is in charge of manage queries and complaints that occur in the event that a national consumer wants to complain about a bad service or defective product against a company located in another member country, or when a consumer from another European country wants to complain against a Spanish company or establishment.

Functions

El CEC is in charge of informing and disseminating Community policy on consumer and consumer protection matters through the organization of seminars, publications, or dissemination in the media.

The claims against Related Airlines al Regulation 261 / 2004 that is, due to cancellation, delay of flights or overselling of tickets (overbooking) are processed directly by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) through its form websites.

Claims through the CEC

El European Consumer Center only manages those claims that meet the following requirements:

The claimant must be a consumer who habitually resides in Spain.
The claimant must be a company based in an EU Member State, UK Norway or Iceland.

Claims must be submitted electronically through the claim form available on its website, attaching the following documentation in PDF format:

Prior written claim against the company.
Invoice or proof of purchase.
All those tests that the consumer considers necessary to defend their rights.

Contact Us

Online Dispute Resolution Platform (ODR Platform)

In February 2016, the online consumer dispute resolution platform ODR Platform began operating, Online dispute resolution for the entire European Union.

El European Consumer Center (CEC) has been appointed to the European Commission as the platform's contact point in Spain, providing whoever requests it with assistance and support in submitting claims through said platform, which will provide a single point of access to consumers free of charge. and companies for the out-of-court resolution of contractual disputes arising from contracts for the sale or provision of services entered into electronically.

Entrepreneurs, merchants and platforms or markets that offer their products or services electronically are required to include a clearly visible and easily accessible link to the platform on their website, and if they offer their products via email , they must include in it the information about it.

The platform will allow consumers and traders to submit complaints by filling in an electronic form available in all the official languages of the European Union, Norwegian and Icelandic, and will offer them the option to attach the relevant documents.

The CEC, as the contact point in Spain, will automatically send the claim to the competent national alternative resolution entity that the parties have agreed upon, and the parties are obliged to conclude the procedure within a period of ninety days.

The creation and development of the online dispute resolution platform is arranged in the Regulation (EU) 524 / 2013 of the European Parliament and the Council.

Update date: September 1, 2023