• "We are all consumers" is the motto of this year's World Consumer Rights Day.
• Refugees from Ukraine are also consumers – specially for them UOKiK and 6 other institutions have prepared useful information that will make shopping, travelling and using services easier.
• UOKiK has also launched free consumer advice in Ukrainian at tel. 801 440 220, 22 290 89 16 and by email: uaporady@dlakonsumentow.pl.

Every year on 15 March we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day in memory of US President John F. Kennedy's speech 60 years ago. On that day, he proclaimed that we are all consumers and formulated four basic rights for each of us: the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard.

- This year, World Consumer Rights Day took on a new and special dimension. Refugees are pouring into Poland because of the war in Ukraine. They are consumers just like any of us; they shop, enter into telephone or internet contracts, withdraw money from banks and use various services. When doing that, they have – just like Polish consumers – the right to reliable information, to choose the most advantageous offer, to buy safely, and in case of a dispute with a trader – the right to free legal assistance – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Here you will find help in Ukrainian

With our Ukrainian guests in mind, UOKiK started to provide free consumer advice in Ukrainian, both by telephone and by e-mail. You bought shoes and after some time it turned out that the sole was falling off? You entered into a contract online and would like to cancel it? The telecommunications operator did not inform you about additional charges? You are not sure if the terms of the loan you are offered are fair? For free legal advice call the Consumer Helpline at: 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, cost of the call as per your operator's price list) or write an email to: uaporady@dlakonsumentow.pl. In the latter case, you can ask for help in writing a complaint or withdrawal from a contract in Polish. You can also send the contract you are about to sign for review.

Compendium of knowledge for refugees

UOKiK and 6 other institutions: European Consumer Centre, Financial Supervision Authority, Financial Ombudsman, Office of Electronic Communications, Personal Data Protection Office and Office of Rail Transport prepared useful information for visitors from Ukraine. We hope that it will make it easier for refugees to shop, travel and use services in Poland and other EU countries. This is very important, as consumers in the EU are protected by different legislation than in Ukraine, so we want to introduce Ukrainian visitors to key matters in a practical way.

In the "Twoje prawa w Polsce – VADEMECUM KONSUMENTA" (Your rights in Poland – CONSUMER GUIDEBOOK) guide prepared in Ukrainian, UOKiK focused on basic consumer rights. From it, visitors from Ukraine can learn, among other things:

• where to find free legal assistance,
• what to do if a product they bought is faulty,
• what rules apply when shopping in brick and mortar shops and what rules apply when shopping online,
• how to buy safely online.

Visit the websites of our partners from other institutions:

European Consumer Centre: If you are planning to travel from Poland to another country, read the basic information about your rights as a consumer when travelling in the EU, Norway, Iceland and the UK

Financial Ombudsman: Learn about your rights when using financial and insurance products and see how the Financial Ombudsman can help you

Financial Supervision Authority: Information on insurers and banks - entity search engine

Office of Electronic Communications: Advice on how to use the services of telecommunications operators

Personal Data Protection Office: What rights GDPR gives you, how to protect your personal data and privacy and how to navigate the Internet safely

Office of Rail Transport: Information on free rail travel opportunities. Also, learn about your rights as a passenger

And if you are looking for accommodation, humanitarian aid, transport and broadly understood support, please visit the website pomagamukrainie.gov.pl

Consumer support:

Phone: 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 – consumer helpline (also in Ukrainian)
Email: porady@dlakonsumentow.pl and uaporady@dlakonsumentow.pl (in Ukrainian)
Consumer ombudsmen – in your city or county
European Consumer Centre: 22 55 60 600 – for cross-border cases involving EU countries, Norway, Iceland and the UK

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL