As consumers, we have all been ripped off at some point in our lives by a dishonest company or service provider. We have all been a victim of a scam, small or large, and lost money due to the mis-selling of, or misinformation about, one product or another. Most of the time the amount of damage or harm done is limited, albeit upsetting and painful. And most of the time it stops there.
It stops there because we don’t necessarily have the time, resources or knowledge to initiate legal proceedings against our wrongdoers. When our rights as consumers have been breached and we suffered detriment due to illegal or unfair practices, we often find ourselves alone without any recourse or redress.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. For 24 years now, an EU-level proposal – the Collective Redress Directive – that would allow consumer organisations to take up important legal fights on your behalf and obtain compensation for you, has been on the table in some shape or form.