Consumer Agency and Consumer Ombudsman 

The Finnish Consumer Agency aims to safeguard and strengthen the consumer’s position in the society. The Director General of the Agency acts as the Consumer Ombudsman.

The Consumer Ombudsman supervises compliance of practices relating to consumers’ financial security with the Consumer Protection Act and also for example the Payment Services Act. The Consumer Ombudsman also supervises the marketing of financial and insurance services and fairness of contractual terms and conditions. Financial services include different forms of investment undertaken by private households. Insurance services include the selling of investment policies as well as management and compensation services.

At the Consumer Ombudsman's discretion, they may also assist private consumers in a court of law, file a group complaint with the Consumer Disputes Board or file a class action.

Anybody – a consumer, a self-employed person or an authority – may report for example false or misleading marketing or unfair contractual terms to the Ombudsman.

European Consumer Centre Finland

The European Consumer Centre Finland operates within the Consumer Agency as part of the European Consumer Centres network (ECC-Net) consisting of consumer centres in the European Economic Area. The role of ECC-Net is to promote consumer protection in cross-border trade between consumers and entrepreneurs on the European internal market.

The European Consumer Centre Finland provides guidance and expertise for consumer questions about cross-border trade and, if needed, investigation and arbitration assistance in consumers' conflicts with entrepreneurs located in other member countries of the European Economic Area. The Consumer Centre receives investigation and arbitration assistance from sister offices located in other countries of the network. In matters concerning cross-border trade, as in other consumer matters, a consumer should first contact a consumer adviser in the own municipality.

The operations of the European Consumer Centre Finland are financed by the Consumer Agency and the European Commission.

24 October 2011