Who can the ECC support ?

1. You are living in Austria. (Citizenship is not required.)
    
2. You require assistance as a consumer against a company. The specific issue does not concern any business activity on your part, nor is it a problem with another private individual.
    
3. Your question or problem concerns a company abroad, not in Austria.
    
4. The company abroad must have its registered office in the European Economic Area (EEA). This includes all other EU countries, Iceland and Norway. We also handle cases in the United Kingdom. We do not act on behalf of companies headquartered in Austria, the USA, China, Turkey, Switzerland, etc., even if these companies have a branch in the EU.
    
5. If you would like us to intervene on your behalf, you must have already submitted a written complaint to the company yourself and not been successful. We require this rejected or unanswered written complaint.
    
6. We only work out of court. You are not yet represented by a solicitor and the matter is not yet before the court.

If none of the above points apply, you can find help at the following institutions:

You do not live in Austria

✔️ You must be a resident of Austria for us to take action. Your citizenship is irrelevant. The EVZ Austria is not responsible if you live abroad.

• 🚫You live in another EU Member State, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom and have a cross-border consumer problem with a company from one of these countries. 
  👉 If you live in one of the participating countries in the ECC network, please contact the ECC in your own country.
   
• 🚫 You do not live in the EU, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom, but in a so-called "third country". 
  👉 You can contact a consumer protection organisation in your home country. You can find the contact details on the website of ICPEN, the international umbrella organisation for all consumer protection organisations.

You are not a consumer

✔️ We are responsible if you, as a private individual, need help against a company.

• 🚫 We are not responsible if the case concerns a problem between two companies. For example, you are an entrepreneur and the invoice was issued to your company. 
  👉 Please contact the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
   
• 🚫 We are not responsible for cases involving private individuals. For example, if you have purchased something from a private individual on a sales platform such as eBay or Willhaben, and the other person is not selling commercially. 
  👉 Please contact the free initial legal advice service.

The case is not cross-border or does not involve an EU company

✔️ We are responsible if the problematic company has its headquarters in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom. Please note: The decisive factor is the company's headquarters, not its branches or the location of a debt collection agency that sends you payment demands on behalf of the company.

• 🚫 We are not responsible if you live in Austria and the company also has its headquarters in Austria. 👉Please contact the national advisory service of the VKI (also covers Switzerland and Liechtenstein). 
  👉Cases relating to air passenger rights and Austria:  APF (Agency for Passenger Rights)
  👉Cases relating to the internet (contracts concluded online) are handled by the Internet Ombudsman
  👉 Members of the Austrian Chamber of Labour contact the consumer protection department of the Chamber of Labour
  👉The Consumer Arbitration Board can also help with problems involving Austrian companies.
   
• 🚫 We are not responsible if you live in Austria but the company is not based in the EU, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, but in a so-called third country such as China, the USA, Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, etc.
  👉 Please also contact ICPEN, the international umbrella organisation for consumer protection agencies.

You have attempted to reach an agreement with the company.

✔️ We are responsible if you have already sent a written request to the company concerned to resolve the issue.

• 🚫 We are not responsible if you have not yet contacted the company in writing. Please try that next!
  👉 We recommend filling out one of our freely available sample letters and sending it to the company. If this is unsuccessful, please feel free to contact us.

You are not yet represented in your case.

✔️ The ECC can only assist you if there is no court case pending and you are not yet represented by a solicitor.

• 🚫 If you have entrusted the case to a solicitor, legal expenses insurer, arbitration body or commercial rights portal, we cannot represent you at the same time.