Complained and Got Nowhere? Why Europeans Are Less Happy With How Disputes Are Handled
Experience of Problems & Redress · Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025
Making a complaint is one thing – getting a satisfactory answer is another. Across Europe, consumers are increasingly disappointed with how their complaints are handled. This InfoCons Consumer Protection guide explains the worrying drop in satisfaction.
InfoCons Consumer Protection Explains: What the Figures Show
Consumers who had a problem and complained to a retailer or service provider were asked how satisfied they were with the way it was dealt with. The figure tracks the share who were very or fairly satisfied, over time.
Source: Consumer Conditions Survey. Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – The Trend: From 65% Down to 53%
Satisfaction had been fairly stable – around 60% in 2018, 66% in 2020 and 65% in 2022 – but then dropped sharply to just 53% in 2024. That is a fall of 12 percentage points in two years, meaning nearly half of complainers are now left unsatisfied. Satisfaction fell in 20 of the 27 Member States, most notably in France, Romania and Belgium.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Satisfaction with complaint handling over time. Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Why This Matters
This negative trend is a warning sign. If complaining feels pointless, consumers stop doing it – which links directly to the large share who already stay silent. Good complaint-handling is not a favour; it is part of respecting consumer rights, and falling satisfaction suggests too many businesses are not meeting that standard.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Don’t Stop at a ‘No’
A poor response from a seller is not the end of the road. Consumers have the right to escalate – to consumer associations, to out-of-court dispute-resolution bodies, and, for cross-border cases inside the EU, Norway and Iceland, to the European Consumer Centres. A first refusal does not mean you have no rights.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – What This Means for You as a Consumer
If your complaint is brushed off, stay calm and persistent. InfoCons Consumer Protection encourages consumers to put complaints in writing with a clear deadline for a reply, keep copies of everything, reference their specific rights (such as repair, replacement or refund for faulty goods), and escalate to an independent body if the seller will not cooperate. Persistence and good records turn many ‘no’ answers into solutions.
Signature: InfoCons Consumer Protection Department