{"id":18318,"date":"2023-04-25T10:14:24","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T09:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/?p=18318"},"modified":"2023-04-25T10:22:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T09:22:22","slug":"how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"How to complain if things go wrong!"},"content":{"rendered":"

From time to time, problems will arise with goods and services. It can sometimes be easier to stay quiet and not complain if you\u2019re unsure about your rights.<\/p>\n

When buying from businesses based in Ireland or the EU, you have strong rights under consumer law. If there\u2019s a valid reason, don\u2019t be shy about making a complaint!<\/p>\n

Know your rights<\/h2>\n

Before making a complaint, it\u2019s important to find out exactly what your consumer rights<\/a> do and do not cover. For example, if you change your mind about a product you bought in a shop that is not faulty, you generally aren\u2019t entitled to a refund. If you want to return it, it is a matter of the shop\u2019s policy on returns. However if you bought online you are entitled to return it within 14 days for any reason.<\/p>\n

Whatever your problem might be, the steps involved are the same.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Talk to the shop directly<\/h2>\n

Your first move should always be to contact the business and speak with them. Explain clearly what the issue is and how you would like them to resolve it. You should give the business the opportunity to fix the problem in the first instance.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Write a formal letter of complaint<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve contacted the business directly and are not happy with their response, you can make a formal complaint in writing. You should send this to them by email or post and keep a copy of your complaint.<\/p>\n

When writing to the business, you should include all of the details of your complaint and you again set out how you would like the issue resolved.<\/p>\n

Be sure to hold on to all information about your complaint. This may include quotations, invoices, receipts, emails, photographs and\/or contracts. Keep track of any phone calls or face to face conversations you had with the business, who you spoke to and what was discussed.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Taking your complaint further<\/h2>\n

Many complaints are resolved following discussions with the business. However, if you\u2019re still not satisfied with the outcome you may wish to take further action.<\/p>\n

Complaints involving amounts up to \u20ac2,000 can be pursued through the Small Claims procedure<\/a>. For amounts over \u20ac2,000, you should seek independent legal advice on your options.<\/p>\n

There are also state regulatory bodies<\/a> for certain goods and services who may be able to help. For example, if your complaint is about an airline flight delay or cancellation, the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) will have information that can help you.<\/p>\n

If you believe that a business has breached your consumer rights, you can also report the business to us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From time to time, problems will arise with goods and services. It can sometimes be easier to stay quiet and not complain if you\u2019re unsure about your rights. When buying from businesses based in Ireland or the EU, you have …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":240,"featured_media":18319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[182,184,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-consumers-covid-19","category-money","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CCPC Consumers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-25T09:14:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-25T09:22:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"530\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"gordonryan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"gordonryan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/\",\"name\":\"How to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-25T09:14:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-25T09:22:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/340ea842db4076ea3c95e4641326da40\"},\"description\":\"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":530},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to complain if things go wrong!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/\",\"name\":\"CCPC Consumers\",\"description\":\"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/340ea842db4076ea3c95e4641326da40\",\"name\":\"gordonryan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/627fa385ef8af7375a2f98b16abd06c5700512f5040bb246d8a2cbbf9614a9fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/627fa385ef8af7375a2f98b16abd06c5700512f5040bb246d8a2cbbf9614a9fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"gordonryan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/author\/gordonryan\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers","description":"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers","og_description":"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/","og_site_name":"CCPC Consumers","article_published_time":"2023-04-25T09:14:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-25T09:22:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":530,"url":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"gordonryan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"gordonryan","Estimated reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/","name":"How to complain if things go wrong! - CCPC Consumers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-25T09:14:24+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-25T09:22:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/340ea842db4076ea3c95e4641326da40"},"description":"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/pexels-castorly-stock-3951845.jpg","width":800,"height":530},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ccpc.ie\/consumers\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-complain-if-things-go-wrong\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to complain if things go wrong!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/","name":"CCPC Consumers","description":"The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/340ea842db4076ea3c95e4641326da40","name":"gordonryan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/627fa385ef8af7375a2f98b16abd06c5700512f5040bb246d8a2cbbf9614a9fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/627fa385ef8af7375a2f98b16abd06c5700512f5040bb246d8a2cbbf9614a9fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"gordonryan"},"url":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/author\/gordonryan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/240"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18318"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18323,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18318\/revisions\/18323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccpc.inventise.ie\/consumers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}