How can we use Consumer Complaints to improve consumers' lives?

Albert Borschette Centre
36, Rue Froissart
1040 Brussels

Thursday May 27 2010

Minutes

PROGRAMME INCLUDING ALL PRESENTATIONS

8:30 - 9:30	REGISTRATION
	INTRODUCTION
9:30 - 9:45	Official Welcome - Ms Paola Testori Coggi Director General of DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Watch videos:
9:45 - 10:15	Opening Address - Mr John Dalli EU Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumers Content: Complaints as a tool for evidence-based consumer policy Watch videos:
10:15 - 11:30	ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: COMPLAINTS AND CONSUMER POLICY: CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AS AN INDICATOR OF MARKET MALFUNCTIONING AND A POLICY TOOL
	Chair: Ms Jacqueline Minor Director of Consumer Affairs, DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Watch videos: Ms Nathalie Homobono Director-General, DGCCRF, France Watch videos: Mr Colin Brown OFT Director of Policy, OFT, UK Watch videos: Ms Patricia de Suzzoni Chair of Customer Working Group (CWG) European Regulators' Group for Electricity & Gas (ERGEG) Watch videos: Ms Cornelia Tausch Head of Economic and International Affairs, VZBV – Federation of Consumer organisations, Germany The speakers will address the following questions: What are the main market insights from consumer complaints? How can policy-makers integrate the insights from consumer complaints into their work to improve consumer related policies? Has the collection of complaints made any real difference? Watch videos:
11:30 - 11:50	MORNING TEA OR COFFEE
	SESSION 1 – IMPLEMENTING THE METHODOLOGY
11:50 – 12:15	Mr David Mair Head of Unit, Consumer Markets, DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Title: Facilitating the adoption of the harmonised methodology. Political aspects Watch videos:
12:15 -12:30	Mr Gerald Cultot Head of Section, IT development in the field of Consumers affairs, DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Title: Facilitating the adoption of the harmonised methodology. Data transfer aspects The speakers will address the following questions: How does the Commission envisage implementing the methodology? What measures is the Commission taking to facilitate the use of the methodology? Watch videos:
12:30 – 13:00	DISCUSSION – SESSION 1
	Questions for the discussion: What are the main issues for complaint bodies in adopting the methodology? Is the Commission doing enough to facilitate adoption? How can more bodies be encouraged to participate? How can consumers be encouraged to complain / voice their dissatisfaction? Watch videos:
13:00 - 14:30	BUFFET LUNCH
	SESSION 2 - ANALYSING AND USING COMPLAINTS DATA
14:30 - 14:45	Ms Britt Køhlert Danish Consumer Agency, Denmark Title: Learning from consumer complaints Watch videos:
14:45 - 15:00	Mr David Fisher Director, Consumer Direct, UK Title: Learning from consumer complaints Watch videos:
15:00 - 15:15	Mr Jacques Sainctavit MEDEF - Mouvement des enterprises de France, France Title: Lessons from the consumer experience Watch videos:
15:15 - 15:30	Mr Dragos Trusca Consumer Markets, DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Title: The Consumer Markets Scoreboard The speakers will address the following questions: How are complaints used to improve market functioning at national level? What can business learn from consumers? Do we have the right framework to analyse complaints data? Watch videos:
15:30 – 16:00	DISCUSSION – SESSION 2
	Questions for the discussion: How should complaints data be analysed? How is the Commission going to analyse and use the data? What other data do we need to analyse and complement complaints data? Are the insights from complaints more applicable to some markets or policies than others? How do we turn complaints into something positive? Watch videos:
16:00 – 16: 15	CLOSING REMARKS – MS JACQUELINE MINOR Director of Consumer Affairs, DG SANCO (Health and Consumers) Watch videos: