Are football fans allowed the same period for filling a complaint in Poland and Ukraine? What is the best way to lodge a complaint against Polish or Ukrainian travel agency? Before Euro 2012, UOKiK and All-Ukrainian Consumers’ Federation PULSE will undertake joint information actions concerning football fans’ consumer rights

Football fans are still awaiting the first Euro 2012 match for 365 days. 365 days is also enough time to learn the difference between Polish and Ukrainian consumer law in detail. Hardly any British, German or French knows Polish (or Ukrainian) consumer law and has knowledge of how to raise a complaint about unfair traders. Needless to say, all football fans are consumers too, and the more they know about how to file a complaint, the more capable they will be to take such actions. For this reason the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and All-Ukrainian Consumers’ Federation PULSE till the first Euro 2012 match will jointly remind fans of:

• shopping rules – suppose you bought from the Ukrainian e-seller your favourite football team shirt or booked the hotel and you are disappointed with their quality? If you do not know whether resigning from the unsatisfatory purchase is possible or how long complaint period is provided in Poland and Ukraine, we will definitely resolve your doubts soon;
• accommodation rules - hotel, boarding house, guesthouse - check your destination and what you pay for. The number of stars does not respond to the standard you have paid for? Thanks to our tips, you will find out how to get out of this impasse;



• sightseeing – 4-day-trip around Poland? Five tastes of Ukraine? On the occasion of football match you would like to take advantage of the local travel agency and see the country? Do you know what to do when the excursion will not fulfil the necessary requirements? Remember – in Poland a complaint should be lodged within 30 days after the event. What about Ukraine?;
• e-handbook for fan-consumer - taking part in football match in Ukraine and Poland? Check your rights! Are you going to hire a car, order a meal in a local restaurant or take advantage of other services which do not satisfy your expectations? In our e-handbook (by UOKiK and Ukraine Federation) you will find all the essential information. Armed with the knowledge, you could make use of all your consumer privileges. Come along!

We will be resolving all football fans’ doubts within the next 365 days. For further information, please visit UOKiK and UCF PULSE websites.

All-Ukrainian Consumers’ Federation PULSE - is the union of non-governmental and non-profit consumer organizations in Ukraine. Near thirty members of UCF PULSE were partners of joint EU-UNDP Project Consumer Society and Citizen Networks in the period 2006-2010, and they established a new NGO after the lapse of project duration. Their joint efforts allow to keep own hands on the pulse of current events. The main present goal of UCF PULSE is to represent and promote consumer interests in relations with the state and businesses, intensify legislation development and reinforce the position of consumers as the most unprotected market participants so as to follow the European standards. History of consumer movement in Ukraine had own start more than twenty years ago, and now majority of Ukrainian consumers has increased awareness and raised consumer voice. Leaders of UCF PULSE would like to assist foreign football-fans in getting the best impression of Ukraine.

Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) - was established in 1990. The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection is a central authority of the state administration and is responsible for shaping the antitrust policy and consumer protection policy. UOKiK inter alia protects competition, monitors state aid, petrol quality as well as deals with the surveillance of general product safety. According to the government policy, it initiates proceedings concerning infringements of collective consumer interests. Furthermore, it cooperates with municipal and poviat consumer ombudsmen and non-governmental organizations financed from State funds (the Consumer Federation and the Association of Polish Consumers), which provide free of charge legal advice in individual cases. Further consumer protection activities include ridding B2C contracts from prohibited clauses, i.e. contract terms setting forth consumers’ interests in a way that infringes the law or good practices.

Additional information for the media - Poland:

Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokeperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Tel. + 48 22 827 28 92, +48 22 55 60 314
faks + 48 22 826 11 86
E-mail: malgorzata.cieloch@uokik.gov.pl

Additional information for the media - Ukraine:
Nataliia Borodachova
Vice-president on International Cooperation Affairs
All-Ukrainian Consumers’ Federation Pulse
Miljutenko 6a St., 02-156 Kiev
Tel./faks +38 044 51 39 936
E-mail: ucf_pulse@ukr.net
http://www.consumerinfo.org.ua/en/