sou · H0B343 · 2012-06-27 00:00:00 — En strategi är att etablera en särskild grafisk profil med logotyp för det oberoende konsumentstödet. En annan strategi är att samverka med näringsidkare att tillhandahålla information om det oberoende konsumentstödet. Kommunikationsplanen bör även innefatta strategier och aktiviteter för att öka medvetenheten om fördelarna med att vara en medveten konsument. Åtgärderna av sistnämnda slag riktar sig framför allt till konsumenter som är svåra att nå. Metoder och strategier för att nå konsumenter som är svåra att nå Utredningens förslag om åtgärder för att bättre nå ut med konsumentstödet innebär att tröskeln till information och vägledning sänks och det blir lättare att hitta och komma i kontakt med konsumentstödet. För att nå de konsumenter som inte söker information krävs målgruppsanpassad uppsökande verksamhet. Information på rätt sätt vid rätt tillfälle Det är betydelsefullt att väcka mottagarens intresse genom att tydliggöra nyttan av att vara en medveten konsument. Det finns även behov av att berörda aktörer utgår från gemensamma utgångspunkter av målgrupper samt att val av informationskanaler anpassas till de målgrupper som ska nås. Utredningen föreslår att berörda aktörer i större utsträckning än ska identifiera lämpliga situationer för förmedling av information till konsumenten. Enstaka insatser bör inriktas på åtgärder som tydliggör för konsumenten att det finns ett konsumentstöd och hur det kan nås och vikten av att vara en medveten konsument. Den kommunala konsumentverksamhetens centrala roll i det uppsökande arbetet mot konsumenter Det centrala i det uppsökande arbetet är närheten till konsumenterna, vilket kan uppnås både vid fysiskt möte men även virtuellt. Kommunernas roll när det gäller det uppsökande arbetet är alltjämt mycket relevant genom sin lokala förankring som ger en naturlig närhet till kommuninvånarna. Utredningens bedömning är att den kommunala konsumentverksamheten ges möjlighet att utgöra en mer central roll än i detta arbete. Genom roll som first-line support möjliggörs för kommunerna att prioritera det uppsökande arbetet i större utsträckning än . ska stödja kommunerna i deras uppsökande arbete mot konsumenter Statliga myndigheter och kommuner bedriver uppsökande verksamhet lokalt eller i bredare samordnande projekt. Det är viktigt att kommunerna samverkar i det uppsökande arbetet och får stöd och information om framgångsrika projekt samt att kommunerna får del av de indikationer som får som samordningsmyndighet för den föreslagna informationstjänsten och i vägledningstjänsten. Det uppsökande arbetet i kommunerna gynnas av att en aktör får en stödjande roll. Utredningen föreslår att uppdrag ska preciseras genom att det uttryckligen framgår av myndighetsinstruktionen att ska stödja kommunerna i deras uppsökande verksamhet mot konsumenter. Behov av samverkan och koordinering av det uppsökande arbetet Det uppsökande arbetet behöver planeras och koordineras enligt en övergripande metod och i större utsträckning ske i samverkan mellan relevanta myndigheter, konsumentbyråer, kommuner och konsumentorganisationer. Av stor vikt är att kan bidra till fortsatt metodutveckling inom området. Utredningen föreslår att följande arbetsmetod ska tjäna som utgångspunkt i det uppsökande arbetet: Klargöra vilka sektorer eller val som anses relevanta att fokusera på när det gäller att påverka engagemang och insikt hos konsumenterna. Klargöra det bakomliggande problemet och upprätta tydliga och helst mätbara mål. Öka kännedomen om olika målgruppers beteenden i köpprocessen. Upprättande av best practice (nya projekt prövas i pilotprojekt). Utvärdera effektivitet och måluppfyllelse. En tydlig ansvarsfördelning mellan berörda aktörer. Behov av en gemensam utgångspunkt vid definiering av målgrupper För att en identifiering av olika målgruppers behov ska bli meningsfull behövs enligt utredningen en mer enhetlig begreppsstruktur. Gemensamma utgångspunkter vid definiering av målgrupper ger även en gemensam plattform för olika aktörer, vilket underlättar vid samverkan eftersom arbetet lättare kan koordineras. Utredningen föreslår att en gemensam utgångspunkt vid definiering av målgrupper bör se ut enligt följande. En konsument är i en sårbar situation när han eller hon har lätt att lida skada i köpprocessen. Risken för att lida skada beror på marknadens karaktär, produktens kvalitéer, transaktionens art, personliga egenskaper eller personliga förhållanden som inverkar negativt på möjligheten för konsumenten att göra ett val eller att gå vidare med ett klagomål. Risken för att konsumenten lider skada kan även bero på en kombination av marknadens karaktär och de personliga förhållandena. En konsument är i en utsatt situation när han eller hon mer bestående befinner sig i en sådan livssituation och/eller har bestående personliga egenskaper som inverkar negativt i köpprocessen. En person befinner sig i en utsatt situation när han eller hon gång på gång lider skada i sin konsumtion eller känner en lägre tillfredsställelse med sin konsumtion. Kartläggning av konsumenters beteende i olika valsituationer Vilka behov olika målgrupper har av information och stöd är en komplex fråga som är beroende av en rad faktorer, exempelvis vilken marknad som är aktuell eller vilken valsituation som konsumenten befinner sig i. För att kunna utveckla lämpliga metoder för det arbetet och för att kunna se om metoderna är ändamålsenliga krävs att de bakomliggande orsakerna till konsumenters agerande eller passivitet utreds marknad för marknad och valsituation för valsituation. Detsamma gäller för konsumenters engagemang eller bristande engagemang i miljö- och etikaspekter i samband med konsumtion. Utredningen föreslår att regeringen bör ge i uppdrag att ansvara för att kartlägga de bakomliggande orsakerna till konsumenters beteende i olika valsituationer som bedöms som särskilt betydelsefulla och föreslå vilka metoder och informationskanaler som är lämpliga med hänsyn till vad som framkommit i kartläggningen om olika målgruppers behov. Utredningen ser positivt på att samverkan sker med den konsumentforskning som bedrivs vid olika universitet och högskolor. Information om vilken påverkan hushållens konsumtion har på människa och miljö ska tydliggöras Ett nytt ansvar för Utredningen föreslår att ska ansvara för att informera konsumenter om vilken påverkan hushållens konsumtion har på människor och miljö. Tanken är att konsumenter därigenom ska tillhandahållas information ur ett mer övergripande perspektiv om hur deras konsumtion kan påverka människa och miljö. Informationen ska inte innefatta exempelvis näringslivets och offentlig verksamhets påverkan på miljön. Utredningens bedömning är att information av sådant slag bör kunna hjälpa konsumenten att bättre förstå hur han eller hon kan konsumera miljövänligt. Stöd inför val av skola, vård och omsorg Den ökade valfriheten på skolmarknaden innebär att valsituationen inför ett skolval i flera avseenden liknar ett val av produkter på traditionella konsumentmarknader. De krav som utredningen har ställt på utformningen av och kännedomen om konsumentstödet är således relevanta även vid utformningen av stöd och information inför ett skolval. kvarstår väsentliga skillnader. Skolvalssituationen ställer ytterligare krav på vägledning samt särskilda krav på metoder och strategier för att nå ut till brukaren vilket innebär att frågorna bör behandlas i annan ordning. Med hänsyn till pågående uppdrag (dir. 2011:68) avstår utredningen ifrån att ge förslag i denna del. Utredningen konstaterar att den enskilda kan ställas inför komplexa valsituationer på vård- och omsorgsområdet i situationer där lag (2008:962) om valfrihetssystem är tillämplig. Hur stödet bör utformas på vård- och omsorgsområdet är en komplex och omfattande fråga och bör behandlas i en annan ordning. Mot denna bakgrund samt med hänvisning till uppdrag (dir. 2011:25) vars förslag bör inväntas, lämnar utredningen inga förslag i denna del. into Future Support to Consumers has been tasked with reviewing existing support for consumers in the form of public information and guidance on consumer rights and obligations, choosing products in consumer markets and publicly financed services, and selecting products on the basis of ethical and environmental criteria. has also been instructed to propose ways of organising and providing appropriate, effective support available on equal terms to all consumers in the country, while taking account of the need to ensure that relevant actors roles and spheres of responsibility are clearly defined. The Committees remit further includes proposing strategies and methods to be applied by actors when designing measures in order to ensure that support reaches consumers and can be utilised by them. It is also required to identify target group needs and appropriate information channels. Finally, the Committee has been tasked with conducting a general survey of how consumer support is organised and implemented in other countries such as the UK, , and the , and with proposing suitable legislation based on the Committee Chairs deliberations. Consumer need for support as a point of departure A starting point for the Committee was the need for consumer support. Considerations regarding choice of methods, strategies and information channels and the organisation of consumer support have accordingly been based as far as possible on a consumer, as opposed to an actor, perspective. Social developments in the past 20 years have radically changed conditions for consumers in terms of opportunities to seek and share information. One example is the now widespread tendency, particularly among young people, to search for information in the social media, and to share their purchasing experiences with others on the internet. A growing proportion of all information exchange in society now takes place on the internet, a trend that has created new risks as well as opportunities, as the information available there is of varying quality and not always reliable. These developments have also led to new ways of consuming. E- commerce has made it easier to shop from home and contributed to the emergence of new consumption patterns. Similarly, the proliferation of large shopping centres has created new purchasing patterns and behaviours. Changes in the credit market have also given rise to new consumption patterns. These include quick, easily available credit to meet daily consumption, a development which has also played a major part in growing over-indebtedness in society. Re-regulation and new innovations in certain areas have given rise to new markets where responsibility for choosing goods or services has devolved on the consumer. Thanks to technological advances, commercial marketing messages can now reach the consumer more easily over a growing number of channels, such as mobile telephony and the internet. In a number of respects, this development has been favourable from a consumer standpoint, with a wider selection of products on offer and more information, e.g. through the emergence of product comparison tools. However, it also places new demands on – and correspondingly higher risks for – consumers when selecting goods and services. Moreover, it places new demands on independent consumer support in terms of ensuring accessibility and visibility in a limitless stream of information from different independent and commercial actors. accordingly recognises the need for a higher level of ambition with regard to consumer support. If the consumer is to have ready access to independent support, this should be available as far as possible via a single entry point and be experienced as a cohesive unit. A single contact interface for consumer support is more conducive to enhancing consumer knowledge and easy accessibility. It also makes for accessible, coherent support. In addition, support efforts should incorporate outreach in order to make contact with consumers in any given search query. A further aspect which the Committee has taken into consideration, and which constitutes one of the directive's points of departure, is the need for more equitable consumer support. Consumer support methods and strategies should take account of the needs and behaviours of different target groups. has chosen to divide consumers roughly into two target groups, each requiring different methods and strategies. One group comprises consumers who actively search for information. The other is composed of consumers who do not. The first group is most effectively reached by support which is accessible, informative and relevant. Reaching the second group requires targeted strategies aimed at raising awareness of the value of being a competent, critical consumer. The Committees proposed measures for reaching out more effectively to consumers are aimed at the firstmentioned target group. Its proposals on methods and strategies for consumers who are not easy to reach are aimed at the second group. Proposed measures for reaching consumers more effectively A new structure for consumer support A part of consumer support consists in offering guidance in specific cases and providing web-based information. Examples range from the provision of pre-purchase information to support in the event of a consumer complaint. These forms of support are aimed at consumers who have a degree of involvement and insight into consumer-related issues, as availing oneself of support requires a certain amount of activity on the consumers part. The Committee considers that existing structures for reaching out to consumers are unsuited to the provision of effective, equitable and accessible consumer support. In the Committees view, this is because entry points to guidance and information provided by actors are not adapted to consumers' search behaviours. Consumer support must be visible at the point where the consumer is located and searching for information. It must therefore be provided within a simpler, more straightforward structure that makes it easier for consumers to get started and track down information and advice at need. Consumer support must also be more equitable. ognises the relevance of the argument that support should be perceived as a unified entity despite the involvement of different actors. In addition, the structure must be designed in accordance with the way consumers search for information – primarily on the internet. information provided by actors must be available via an electronic information service With a view to improving accessibility to web-based consumer information provided by authorities, consumer advice centres, actors in civil society and municipal councils, the Committee proposes the of an electronic information service with a comprehensive body of information available on a public network. proposes that the service be governed by a new government ordinance on consumer information. The service would be required to include information on consumers legal positions, and information designed to enable them to make conscious, informed choices. It would also be required to include information from relevant authorities deemed to be of interest to consumers. Under the proposal, each authority would make its own assessment of what is to be regarded as applicable, reliable and appropriate for consumers of the existing information authorities are already required to provide and make available on their own websites or elsewhere. proposes that responsibility for providing consumer information be vested with the following government agencies, and that this task be specified in the respective agencies standing instructions: , the Energy Markets Inspectorate, , the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Authority, the , , the , the Post and Authority, the , the , the , the , , the , the , , the and . The aim of the proposal is to make it easier in future to determine whether information content is inadequate in a given sector, in which case the agency's instructions in the corresponding areas may need to be more clearly formulated. as coordinating body for the electronic information service proposes that the act as the coordinating authority for the electronic information service, and that this responsibility be specified in the agencys standing instructions. proposes that the coordinating agency's functions be set out in the proposed ordinance on consumer information. should be given responsibility for the development, provision and management of the information service. In addition, the agency should be made responsible for practical coordination and joint operational issues, the technical system itself, and performance monitoring of the information service. The responsibilities of a coordinating agency include that of editor-in-chief; the agency will accordingly be expected to make final decisions on the structuring of information and editorial content. changes of a non-editorial character made by the coordinating agency must be implemented in consultation with the information provider as each actor bears responsibility for the content of its own texts, a requirement which should also be stated by the information service. In addition, the agency would be required as part of its extended responsibility to look into the possibility of using social media as a component of the information service. wishes to call attention to the importance of developing the electronic information service using open format. This both enables automatic coordination of information between authorities responsible for its provision and makes data available to other actors. Information provided by consumer advice centres, municipal authorities and civil society organisations. acknowledges the value to consumers of access to web-based consumer advice information via the electronic information service. It also takes a positive view of the contributions to the information service of civil society organisations whose aims are in agreement with consumer policy objectives. proposes that the in its capacity as coordinating authority be responsible for entering into agreements with actors – other than those with official responsibility for providing information – which in the agency's view could play an role in the information service and meet the terms and conditions for participation. also proposes that the Government task the authorities represented on the boards of consumer advice centres with seeking to ensure that centres collaborate with the in providing consumer information within the framework of their respective remits. Consumer information relating to local or regional conditions should be accessible via the information service through links to municipal council websites. of a consumer information council As responsibility for the information content of the electronic information service is vested in a number of actors, continuous cooperation between them will be essential to ensure coherence and facilitate solutions to problems that may arise. To ensure that those tasked with contributing information bring their influence to bear, operate effectively and coordinate with other actors, the Committee proposes the of an advisory body, a consumer information council, tasked with assisting the in its role as coordinating authority. It is further proposed that the council be composed of not more than 10 members appointed by the Government and be chaired by the agency. The council should comprise representatives of the agencies responsible for providing information. The municipal sector and the consumer advice centres should also be represented. responsibility for guidance to individual consumers Direct guidance and advice on consumer issues is an essential complement to web-based support and a significant factor in reaching consumers who for various reasons cannot access web-based information. The fact that the is not currently required to provide guidance to individual consumers is at variance with many consumers expectations of the agency. This state of affairs may have contributed to a structure which is ill-adapted to the way consumers search for information. In order to achieve a clearly articulated structure with a single contact interface to the consumer, consumer support must be in the form of first-line support so the consumer can easily obtain guidance and support from the electronic information service via social media, telephone, email or written correspondence. The focus should be on ensuring that consumers can be helped by the electronic information system using self-help tools and information from other actors. Other authorities and the consumer advice centres should function within the proposed structure as second-line support capable of offering consumers specialised skills. Municipal consumer guidance activities can also constitute second-line support in cases where the guidance officer needs to look through written material, e.g. to address a local issue, or where the case involves meeting the officer in person. proposes that agency instructions in this connection should state that the bears responsibility for providing guidance to individual consumers on sale-related and contractual issues, and for informing and advising consumers within its sphere of activity, with the aim of enabling the latter to make conscious, informed choices. proposes that the Government task the with developing and providing nationwide direct guidance, including guidance by telephone and in writing. In the Committees view, an initial staff complement of 25 annual full-time equivalents for guidance services constitutes a reasonable figure. Collaboration between actors responsible for direct guidance services If the structure is to be appropriate and effective, there must be collaboration between the and other agencies, consumer advice centres and municipal consumer guidance services, where existing skills are to be found. proposes that the Government task the and , the Energy Markets Inspectorate, the and the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority with working to ensure that consumer advice centres – acting in accordance with their respective purpose descriptions – cooperate with the in its efforts to develop and deliver guidance services. The Committees proposal represents a higher level of ambition, with municipal consumer-related activities continuing to play a significant role. The Committees assessment is that this proposal will give municipal councils greater scope to improve the service for their communities with better and more accessible guidance, while enabling them to pursue a more assertive outreach approach vis à vis municipal residents and businesses than at present. Guidance in the prevention of over-indebtedness There is a need for a national guidance service, a financial emergency facility designed to counter over-indebtedness among private individuals. The Committee considers that the introduction of such a service would require a more in-depth analysis in a number of areas, and that its proposal should be evaluated more closely in a different context. The need for marketing measures Promoting public awareness of consumer support and encouraging general recognition of the benefits of becoming an informed consumer will require a communication plan. proposes that the Government task the with drawing up a communication plan designed to give consumers a better idea of where to turn for guidance and advice. One strategy is to establish a visual identity, a graphic profile and logotype for independent consumer support. Another is to collaborate with business operators to offer information on independent consumer support. The communication plan should also include strategies and activities aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of being an informed consumer. Such measures would be aimed primarily at consumers who are difficult to reach.