ECC Ireland recovered more than €200,000 for consumers in 2024

The European Consumer Centre Ireland (ECCI) responded to 2,317 questions and complaints, recovering €203,390 on behalf of Irish and European consumers according to its 2024 annual report.

The ECCI, which has been hosted by the Competition and Consumer Commission (CCPC) since 1 April 2024, aims to find resolutions for disputes through voluntary cooperation from both consumers and businesses.

More than half (55%) of questions or complaints received between April 2024 and December 2024 were from other ECC centres on behalf of consumers in their respective consumers, while 45% were from consumers in Ireland.

From April 2024 to December 2024, ECCI resolved 46% of complaints for European consumers, which included recovering €120,760. For Irish consumers, ECCI resolved 48% of complaints and recovered €82,630.

The biggest issue affecting Irish consumers who complained to ECCI was related to faulty products, followed by non-delivery.

For European consumers outside of Ireland, the biggest issues were related to travel delays and travel cancellations.

The report comes as the ECC Network (ECC-Net) celebrates 20 years of protecting consumers across Europe. ECCI is one of 29 centres across EU member states that assists consumers in resolving cross-border disputes.

Michael McGrath, European commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection, visited the ECCI team to mark the anniversary.

“I was delighted to mark 20 years of the European Consumer Centre Network and to recognise the outstanding work of European Consumer Centre Ireland — supporting nearly 3,000 Irish consumers and 3,200 EU consumers with cross-border issues in just the past 20 months,” Mr McGrath said.

“Their role is vital in protecting consumers and ensuring that only safe products reach our homes. Consumer protection touches all of us — whether we’re shopping online or on the high street, we all deserve to be treated fairly and kept safe.”

Brian McHugh, chair of CCPC said:“It was a pleasure to welcome Commissioner McGrath today and mark the 20^th anniversary of the European Consumer Centre Network.

“The CCPC is pleased to be hosting the European Consumer Centre Ireland service and to see it delivering for consumers across Ireland and the EU.

“ECCI offers essential advice and support to consumers on their cross-border rights when shopping or travelling in the EU, which naturally compliments the mission and work of the CCPC.”

Colette Crowne, director of ECCI said: “I am delighted to showcase the valuable work of the ECCI in the first annual report since the CCPC took on hosting the service.

“The ECCI provides a vital service for consumers across Europe and I look forward to building our relationships with key partners and stakeholders as we continue to develop and deliver value for Irish and European consumers.

The full ECCI 2024 annual report is available on the ECCI website.