Licensed Consumer Advocacy Association

Legal consultations

An accredited consumer association may provide practical and legal information, as well as free legal consultations to consumers requesting it on consumer issues related to its field of intervention.

However, in order to benefit from more detailed legal consultations, particularly in the context of a dispute with a third party, the consumer must join the association. The amount of membership varies from one association to another.

Mediation and amicable settlement of disputes

Authorized consumer associations play a role in the amicable settlement of disputes between consumers and traders, as intermediary or mediator, to avoid systematic recourse to justice.

Their aim is to enable disputes to be resolved quickly and fairly, without lengthy and costly legal proceedings.

Legal defense of individual interests

Authorized national associations may take legal action to defend several consumers who are victims of the same trader.

They may in particular:

• engage a joint action, where several consumers instruct the association to act on their behalf
• engage a group action, in order to obtain either the cessation of a failure to fulfill obligations or compensation for the damage suffered by consumers in a similar situation.

The class action is brought before the competent court according to the nature of the dispute (judicial or administrative judge).

It may concern different areas provided for by law (consumption, competition, health, environment, data protection, housing, discrimination, etc.).

Legal defense of collective interests

Only an accredited national association may become a civil party where facts cause direct or indirect damage to the collective interest of consumers.

It may thus ask the judge to order a professional, possibly on a penalty payment (mandatory payment of a sum of money until the judge's request has been executed), to:

• Cease non-lawful or dangerous conduct
• Delete an illegal clause in the model contract it offers to consumers or in any contract in progress.

The association may also ask the judge to take the following measures:

• Order the deletion of an unfair term or disregard it in all identical contracts in the course of performance concluded by a particular trader with consumers
• Require the trader concerned to inform, by any means and at his own expense, the consumers concerned by such a clause.

Consumer information and awareness of their rights

An accredited consumer association often publishes comparative studies, satisfaction surveys, and practical guides that help consumers make informed choices.

Power of investigation

Some accredited associations may conduct surveys and studies on products and services. They can, for example, carry out comparative tests on consumer goods and publish the results to alert or advise consumers.

Lobbying action

In principle, their lobbying activities are aimed at protecting the general interest of consumers. To do this, accredited associations can act in different ways:

• They are consulted by the government in the development of new consumer laws or regulations. For example, they may participate in debates on laws relating to the protection of personal data (such as the GDPR), online consumer rights, or deceptive marketing practices.
• They sit on several advisory committees or social and economic dialog bodies (including the national consumer council), where they can make the consumer's point of view known.
• They run campaigns to push through consumer-friendly reforms. This may include petitions, expert reports, or concrete proposals to members of Parliament and senators. They defend topics such as improving legal guarantees for products, the fight against planned obsolescence.
• They organize information campaigns designed to mobilize public opinion around certain issues, such as excessive bank fees or unfair commercial practices.