Consumer Protection

The state consumer protection is the legal protection of consumer rights that is provided through state means. These consist of legislative acts and the provision of supervision over the adherence to such acts. The fundamentals of Estonian consumer protection are described in the Consumer Protection Act. Article 3 of the same act also describes consumer rights:

1.      The consumer has the right to demand and receive goods or services that are in compliance with requirements, safe for consumer life, health and property and the use and ownership of which is not prohibited;

2.      to receive necessary and truthful information on the offered goods and services in order to make an informed decision, and timely information about the risks related to the goods or services;

3.      to receive information about consumer rights and consumption;

4.      to receive advice and assistance when consumer rights have been infringed upon;

5.      to demand the compensation of patrimonial and non-patrimonial damage caused;

6.      to demand that consumer interests are considered and to be represented through consumers’ federations and associations upon making decisions on issues regarding consumer policy. 

However, the presence of rights does not excuse us, consumer, from certain obligations, for example: in order to guarantee safety and the purposeful usage of the products, the consumer must read product labeling and, prior to usage, also the usage/consumption instructions.