Consumer Protection Foundation

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Consumer Protection Foundation

(Consumer protection)
Consumer protection logo
Purpose: Protecting the interests of consumers
Chair: Prisca Birrer-Heimo
Managing directors: Sara Stalder
Consist: since June 18, 1964
Number of employees: 14th
Seat: Bern , Switzerland
Website: www.konsumentenschutz.ch

no founder specified

The Foundation for Consumer Protection ( consumer protection name ) is a Swiss consumer protection organization .

organization

The private law foundation is based in Bern and was set up in 1964 by four employee and consumer organizations. Since June 1, 2017, the seven-member Board of Trustees has been the highest body of the Foundation for Consumer Protection. The superordinate sponsorship, which was responsible for the election of the Board of Trustees up to this date, was dissolved on May 31, 2017. 14 employees are employed.

The purpose of the foundation is to protect the interests of consumers .

The foundation is a member of the Alliance of Consumer Protection Organizations , which also includes the Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC) and the Ticino consumer protection organization Associazione consumatrici e consumatori della Svizzera italiana (ACSI). It is also part of the umbrella organization International Consumer Research & Testing , and cooperates with the German Stiftung Warentest on individual projects . It is also a member of the Swiss Climate Alliance .

Presidium of the Board of Trustees

Management

  • 1964 to 1965: Waldemar Jucker
  • 1965 to 1966: Ernst Flück
  • 1966 to 1967: Ferdinand Troxler
  • 1967 to 1985: Alfred Neukomm
  • 1985 to 1992: Roland Seiler
  • 1992 to 1999: Simonetta Sommaruga
  • 2000 to 2007: Jacqueline Bachmann
  • since 2008: Sara Stalder

activities

The foundation advocates the interests of consumers in Switzerland in the areas of food, mobility, leisure, health, energy, communication, the digital world , finance and insurance.

Consumer information

A central concern of the foundation is the information of the consumers. It demands maximum transparency from suppliers about the origin, composition, ingredients and prices of their products. In addition, it publishes quality and price comparisons, product tests and practical consumer information in the "Web-Ratgeber" on its website. She sells detailed guides in book form and offers personal advice by phone and email. The printed magazine Blickpunkt appears four times a year and provides information on current topics and the foundation's work. The foundation is the price comparison portals preisbarometer.ch and dschungelkompass.ch interest, operates a portal for Repair-cafes ( repair-cafe.ch ) and a complaint portal ( beschwerdeleicht.ch ).

intervention

The foundation works to ensure that providers and retailers take consumer concerns into account. To this end, it seeks direct dialogue with company management and business associations. If the consumer interest cannot be protected otherwise, she takes legal action in model cases.

Political work

The foundation represents consumer interests in politics. To this end, it takes part in consultation processes and engages in parliamentary lobbying . She regularly speaks out in the media on issues relevant to consumption. Together with the Alliance of Consumer Protection Organizations , it leads an annual consumer agenda and draws up a consumer charter with requirements for national politics.

financing

The Foundation for Consumer Protection is supported by around 20,000 patrons and 7,000 other donors, with which it finances around three quarters of its annual budget. Another 10% is generated through consulting activities and the sale of products, around 15% are provided by federal subsidies in accordance with the Consumer Information Act. The federal funds are earmarked and may only be used for consumer information. Overall, the foundation generates an annual income of around CHF 1.5 million. In order to maintain its independence, the foundation does not accept any money from companies or political parties.

criticism

The Swiss Trade Association accuses the foundation of receiving subsidies from the federal government, but not fulfilling the objective information mandate required by the Consumer Information Act (KIG). Rather, it pursues one-sided, ideologically tinged politics and misuses the tax money for "political propaganda". On January 10, 2019, the Commercial Court of the Canton of Bern sentenced the Foundation for Consumer Protection to delete or revise various reports on its website based on the Federal Act against Unfair Competition. The foundation decided not to go to the Federal Supreme Court.

history

The milestones in the history of the Foundation for Consumer Protection are:

  • 1964: Foundation of the foundation and first product test in Switzerland: lamps
  • 1969: cigarette test under the name suicide in installments , internationally recognized results
  • 1978: The results of the canned ravioli test cause sales to collapse throughout Switzerland
  • 1978: Under pressure from the Foundation, the Price Announcement Ordinance comes into force, which enables price comparisons
  • 1981: The popular initiative launched by consumer protection organizations and the newspaper Die Tat to prevent abusive prices is accepted, the price monitor is enshrined in the federal constitution through the consumer protection article
  • 1995: The labeling requirement for genetically modified food is introduced
  • 2002: The foundation's lawsuit against Novartis is upheld, the group is fined 20,000 francs for unfair competition
  • 2010: The foundation and its sister associations of French-speaking Switzerland, Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC) and the Ticino Associazione consumatrici et consumatori della Svizzera italiana (ACSI) establish the alliance of consumer protection organizations
  • 2012: The law against unfair competition (UWG) is tightened, abusive general terms and conditions are prohibited.
  • 2014: The 50th anniversary of the foundation is celebrated with the exhibition "To the cash register please!" In the Polit-Forum Käfigturm .
  • 2014: Initiation of a national repair movement through the establishment of the first Repair Café in Switzerland
  • 2016: Launch of the fair price initiative
  • 2017: Representative action against Volkswagen and AMAG in the matter of the "emissions scandal" due to unfair competition
  • 2017: Claim for damages against Volkswagen and AMAG for around 6,000 people affected by the "emissions scandal"
  • 2018: Launch of the LeihBar with the opening in Bern ( sharing economy )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b About us - Foundation , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection, accessed on October 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ About us - Office , Foundation for Consumer Protection, June 18, 2014, accessed on June 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ Consumer protection organizations move together «Foundation for consumer protection . In: Foundation for Consumer Protection . ( Konsumentenschutz.ch [accessed on October 18, 2016]).
  4. ↑ Toys, safe and secure , konsumentenschutz.ch of November 17, 2010, accessed on October 8, 2014
  5. ↑ Consumer help - app recognizes palm oil in products , gute-nachrichten.com.de from July 9, 2013, accessed on October 8, 2014
  6. ↑ a b Checkout please! An exhibition on consumption and consumer protection (PDF), website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection, accessed on October 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ a b The SKS - how it all began ... , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection , accessed on October 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ Topics , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection, accessed on July 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ Financing , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection, accessed on June 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Financial aid to consumer organizations , Federal Law on Consumer Information of October 5, 1990, as of January 1, 2013, accessed on June 30, 2015.
  11. ↑ How the SKS finances its activities , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection , accessed on June 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ Consumer protection | Business blog. In: gewerbe-blog.ch. Retrieved November 27, 2016 .
  13. ↑ https://www.konsumentenschutz.ch/themen/hochpreisinsel-schweiz/sgv-kritik-ist-nicht-gereigte/
  14. ↑ Patrik Berger: The verdict in the dispute between consumer advocates is now available. January 16, 2019, accessed March 11, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Consumer protection position on the judgment of the Commercial Court Bern - Foundation for Consumer Protection Foundation for Consumer Protection. Retrieved August 15, 2019 .
  16. ↑ About us - Achievements , website of the Foundation for Consumer Protection, accessed on June 30, 2015.
  17. ^ Kassensturz (TV show) : Die Lebensmittel-Scandale , January 14, 2014, accessed on June 30, 2015.
  18. ↑ buses for Novartis because Mebucasol , news.ch, 31 October 2002 accessed June 30, 2015.
  19. ^ Repair Café «Foundation for Consumer Protection . In: Foundation for Consumer Protection . ( Konsumentenschutz.ch [accessed on October 18, 2016]).
  20. ↑ Together against the high-price island of Switzerland - Sign the fair price initiative now! «Foundation for Consumer Protection . In: Foundation for Consumer Protection . ( Konsumentenschutz.ch [accessed on October 18, 2016]).
  21. ↑ Exhaust gas scandal: consumer protection files representative action «Foundation for consumer protection . In: Foundation for Consumer Protection . ( Konsumentenschutz.ch [accessed on August 15, 2018]).
  22. ↑ VW lawsuit filed: Milestone in the enforcement of mass damages «Foundation for Consumer Protection . In: Foundation for Consumer Protection . ( Konsumentenschutz.ch [accessed on August 15, 2018]).
  23. ↑ Your LeihBar has started! In: leihbar.ch, December 5, 2018, accessed on December 9, 2018.