The services of the European Consumer Centre in Ireland (ECC Ireland) were transferred to a new organisation at the start of 2024 and will be completely relaunched. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland will be the new organisation responsible for the ECC’s services in Ireland. Although preparations for the change were initiated at the end of last year, the scale of the organisational transfer is such that the new ECC Ireland will launch its services in April at the earliest. This change will have a temporary impact on the management of cases involving companies that are based in Ireland. Ireland is home to the EU headquarters of many multinational corporations, such as Ryanair, Airbnb, Microsoft, and Apple.
If you have an unresolved case involving a company based in Ireland
The CCPC has indicated that the new ECC Ireland will only accept completely new cases and not review any unresolved cases from previous years. The Finnish office of the European Consumer Centre has contacted its clients whose cases are currently being reviewed by the European Consumer Centre for companies based in Ireland. This applies to around 20 clients in total.
In the ECC network mediation process, the European Consumer Centre in the trader’s home country typically contacts the company involved in the dispute. In some special cases, it may be possible to resume the mediation process directly from Finland with a company that is based in Ireland. However, this special approach will not be possible in all cases. If the mediation is not successful, the case will be closed and the client will be directed to other possible parties and dispute resolution mechanisms that could help them with their issue.
New complaints concerning companies based in Ireland
We can offer general advice to consumers who wish to complain about a company based in Ireland, but we will be unable to mediate cases directly from Finland except in a limited number of scenarios.
The possibilities for mediation are assessed on a case-by-case basis for each company. Once the new ECC Ireland is launched later in the spring, the possibilities for mediation will be improved again.
General instructions for resolving disputes
If you have a consumer issue with a company based in Ireland, try to resolve the issue directly with the company’s customer service. Our website contains complaint templates for different situations and general information on consumer rights to aid you in submitting your complaint.
If you are unable to resolve the matter with the company in question, you can proceed by contacting the European Consumer Centre. Our telephone helpline is available Mon–Wed from 9 am to 12 noon, and you can also use our online forms.
Further information:
Contact information and service forms
Complaint templates for different situations
Information on passenger rights
Information on online shopping
Information on case processing at the European Consumer Centre