Looking for legal support?

We help consumers living in Belgium only. We will use the billing and delivery addresses mentioned in your case to determine this.

• Do you live elsewhere in the EU, Iceland, Norway or the UK? Please contact the ECC in your country of residence.
• Do you live outside the EU, Iceland, Norway or the UK? We are sorry to inform you that ECC-Net is unable to assist you.

We help consumers who did not make a purchase in the course of their professional activities. If you made the purchase in the name of your company, a non-profit organisation or a profit-making organisation, you do not meet the definition of a consumer as the consumer law applys. We advise you to take the matter to court.

You have a problem with a trader, not a private individual, who is registered in a business register of a European Member State, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom. We will use the purchase confirmation and terms and conditions to identify in which country the trader is based.

If you made your purchase via a platform, it is not always the platform but the actual seller who is the contracting party. Please check this carefully.

• You can’t find a business address or company registration number? Or can’t find the trader in the official business register? If so, they may be a fraudulent seller, and you should use your payment method to get your money back. Be sure to report this party to the Economic Inspectorate’s reporting centre.
• Unfortunately, if the trader is based in China, the United States, Switzerland or another non-EU Member State, ECC-Net will not be able to mediate for you.

If the trader is based in Belgium, you will find via ConsumerConnect an ombudsman service to help you reach a solution.

We can only mediate if the complaint is cross-border: both the consumer and the counterparty are located within ECC-Net’s area of jurisdiction but in different countries.

ECC-Net’s area of jurisdiction covers the European Union, Norway, Iceland and the United Kingdom.

Consumer law applies when a consumer purchases a product or service from a trader. Your complaint must concern a problem that you can explain with clear and authentic evidence (e.g. proof of purchase, photographs, etc.). We will only mediate to request what is provided for you in the legislation.

• Compensation for moral, physical or other damages, or commercial gestures, are a matter for the courts to assess, not ECC-Net.
• If you wish to report the trader’s practices, please contact the Economic Inspectorate’s reporting centre.

There are a few types of issues which you will find in more detail in our FAQs. These issues are difficult to mediate, which is why we also offer various ways to find a solution. Check:

• car hire
• purchase of a secondhand car
• wear and tear of a pruduct and warranty
• package holidays
• dropshipping
• cancellation of a flight departing from Belgium & exceptional circumstances.

Please note that we may refuse a mediation based on our experience with the business or the trader. In such cases, we will suggest other options.

Before filing your complaint, you must have contacted the trader in writing (by email, letter or via the contact form – please keep a copy of this) and having waited a reasonable period of time for an answer.

If you wish to ask a question before contacting the trader, please ask it using our form 👇

Please use our complaints form only, providing a clear summary of the facts. (Paste it in the section Part 4 of the complaint form entitled ‘About your problem – What went wrong?’). If the problem relates to an online purchase, it is very important that you provide the email address or your username on that platform (for example, on Vinted).

Please include only the documents that are absolutely essential and ensure that these attachments are of a high quality. This will help us to assist you more effectively and more quickly.

Documents crucial to us

• proof of purchase/booking – the full version, including details of both parties, price, product and payment method. A screenshot is often not sufficient
• proof of payment
• the most important correspondence with the trader (preferably in chronological order and compiled into a single PDF or Word document)
• the IBAN and BIC numbers of your bank account, if a refund is involved
• proof of any damage

⭐Please avoid sending individual phone screenshots: these are often incomplete and slow down the processing of your case.

⭐For security reasons, we are unable to open ZIP files.

⭐ If the file remains incomplete after we have requested further information, we’ll be sorry to close the case.

When submitting your complaint to us, you must ensure that no other body is dealing with it at the same time (ombudsman service, court, solicitor, payment provider, etc.). Otherwise it causes confusion and is counterproductive to the resolution of your complaint.

Was your complaint handled beforehand by another organization? Then send us that information, it is valuable to us.

Did you use AI to draft your case file? That’s fine. Please bear in mind, however, that an experienced lawyer will be handling your case, and that AI-generated legal assessments are not conclusive or binding on our analysis.

Always let us know about any updates (response, refund, delivery, etc.) and do not take any further action with the trader yourself whilst we are mediating.

Rude or disrespectful language – whether directed at us or at the trader – will immediately result in the closing of your case.

• We have no power to impose sanctions or take enforcement action, and we do not represent you in court.
• Our involvement does not suspend the limitation period. Is it about to expire? Please contact your case handler for advice.
• Our waiting time can currently be up to 3 months. Please see our FAQs for specific options that may provide a quicker solution.
• Mediation is not always successful: the outcome depends in part on the trader’s willingness to cooperate. We can, however, advise you on any further options you may have.