On the occasion of the celebration of the Catholic Church's 38th World Youth Day, which will be held in Portugal from 1 to 6 August, the European Consumer Centre in Portugal (ECC-Portugal) - together with the Directorate General for Consumers, Portuguese Tourism, the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and Sea, and the Police - has published four guides in Spanish, French, English and Portuguese so that visitors travelling to Lisbon during these days are aware of their rights as consumers. The brochures also include a series of recommendations for getting around Lisbon, the different options available in the city for accommodation, the main payment options for shopping, as well as practical information for eating out in the different restaurants and for accessing health care in Portugal if necessary.
The guides - which have also been funded by the European Union - remind travellers that, should they need to, they can lodge a complaint directly using the complaint form available in all commercial establishments in Portugal or through the electronic complaint book. In this case, in order to file a complaint telematically, it is reminded that it is not necessary to be registered. It is sufficient to have a valid e-mail account to file a complaint through the online platform (www.livrodereclamacoes.pt). In addition, consumers can also contact the Directorate General for Consumers to clarify their consumer queries, as well as ECC-Portugal to handle complaints concerning cross-border European purchases of goods and services.
The brochures also provide information on the Online Dispute Resolution Platform, a free, interactive and multilingual website run by the European Commission, where consumers residing in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway can also resolve complaints about online purchases made either in their own country or in any of the above-mentioned countries. In this way, consumers can either negotiate a solution to their consumer problems directly with the shop, or agree to have the case resolved independently, impartially and transparently by an online dispute resolution body.
Source of information:
Spanish: Centro Europeu do Consumidor (SP)
French: Centro Europeu do Consumidor (FR)
English: Centro Europeu do Consumidor (EN)
Portuguese: Centro Europeu do Consumidor (PT)