The European Consumer Centre Germany Supports You

Current waiting time: Due to the high volume of enquiries, we currently need an average of 12 weeks to provide an initial response. In some cases, this may be sooner. Please only submit your case if you are willing to accept this waiting time.

Please also note that our involvement does not interrupt the limitation period. If your deadline is approaching, we recommend contacting a solicitor immediately or considering a simplified European court procedure.

Further processing: In many cases, we can assist you with an assessment and recommendation without the need for intervention. If intervention is necessary, the subsequent processing time depends not only on us, but also on the company in question and our colleagues in the country where the company is based. We have no influence over their processing times.

Your case will not be forgotten: We will get in touch as soon as there is any news or if we require further information. Please note that we do not provide regular updates.

What you can do: Every enquiry takes up time that we could otherwise devote to processing your case. You will be helping both yourself and us if you refrain from making purely status-related enquiries while you wait. If your matter has been resolved in the meantime, please send us a brief message.

If you do not want to wait, you have other options depending on your case:

• Chargeback procedure (reversal of credit card payments)
• Alternate dispute resolution
• European court proceedings (European Payment Order, European Small Claims Procedure)
• A lawyer

Please let us know immediately if your issue has been resolved.

Important Information:

The ECC Germany is neither an arbitration body nor a public authority. We provide information and offer out-of-court dispute resolution.

We have no enforcement powers and cannot force a company to behave in a certain way or impose sanctions. Nor do we conduct investigations. The successful resolution of your dispute therefore depends on the company’s willingness to cooperate with us. However, we will do everything in our power to reach an amicable agreement in your interest.

In the event of fraud, incorrect debits or insolvency of the merchant, you can and should ask your bank to reverse the transaction using the chargeback procedure. This is possible if you paid by credit card. Act quickly!

Our Rules

Before filling out our form: To ensure a smooth process, please read our rules carefully. If you do not comply with them, we will not be able to help you. The better you prepare your request, the better and faster we can help you.

1. You Live in Germany

We can only help you if you are resident in Germany. If you live in another EU country, Iceland or Norway, please contact the ECC in your country.

2. You are Personally Affected

We kindly request that only the person personally affected by the issue completes the form. If this is not possible, please provide an explanation.

3. Your problem is a cross-border and European one

We do not take action in the following cases:

• Complaints against a company based in Germany.
• Purchases from companies outside the EU, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom (e.g. Asia, USA, etc.). In these cases, please consult the Consumers International or ICPEN website. The German embassies and consulates in these countries may also be able to provide you with information.

4. You have already searched for answers on our website

In over 200 articles on topics such as travel, shopping, car hire and fines, we provide specific tips and answer many questions about common problems. How can you find an article that addresses your concern? Use our search function!

5. You have already contacted the company

Before the ECC Germany can take action, you must have already attempted to resolve the issue with the company yourself. We require written proof of this (by e-mail, letter or form, of which you have a copy). If you do not yet have such proof, please obtain it before completing the form.

6. You have given the company at least four weeks to respond

If you receive a negative response or no response at all within these four weeks, you can contact us.

7. You can provide us with complete, legible documents and describe the facts clearly and in a structured manner

Before filling out the form, please prepare the following:

• a clear and chronological summary of the problem (order confirmation, delivery, complaint, response or lack of response from the company),
• complete and legible attachments (in chronological order) with meaningful names,
• All correspondence with the company (with dates and full contact details).
• At the end of the form, we require a completed and hand-signed power of attorney from you (download via the link).

If you do not have all the necessary documents, please come back when you do.

Please send us only PDF files if possible. Important: For security reasons, we cannot open ZIP files.

If screenshots are really essential, they must:

• be large enough to be legible,
• contain the date and full addresses of the sender and recipient,
• be relevant to understanding the dispute.

Requests consisting of unsorted or unspecified screenshots cannot be processed and will be automatically closed! The large number of incoming requests does not allow us to manually analyse each image, compare the information and reconstruct the entire chronology of your case. However, you can resubmit the case with the proper documentation at any time.

8. You respect our legal analysis

We understand that many consumers use artificial intelligence to gain an initial overview of their legal situation. Please note that AI systems can provide incorrect, outdated or misleading information. These results can in no way replace legal advice from a qualified lawyer.

This is precisely why you have entrusted us with your case. We always provide you with accurate information based on current legislation and our professional legal expertise. We remain at your disposal to clarify the legal situation. However, we will not engage in discussions based on AI-generated interpretations. Our analysis is based on reliable legal sources, which remain the sole authority for handling your case.

9. You actively collaborate with our team

Please respond to our queries promptly and keep us informed if your dispute has been resolved in the meantime.

10. You communicate objectively and appropriately

We work free of charge and always try to support consumers. We understand that you may sometimes feel angry or helpless about the behaviour of companies. Nevertheless, objective and respectful communication is important to us. Insults and inappropriate comments will not be tolerated and will result in the complaint not being processed further. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation in ensuring constructive and respectful communication.

☐ I have read and accept the rules for processing my request.

Further information about how we work can be found in our About us section and in our Quality Charter.