Last year, its officers inspected over 55,000 shops. The office publishes a consumer test magazine and also deals with complaints about unscrupulous travel agents, cable-television operators and overcharging on utility bills. The legislative and organizational changes were certainly needed. And in shops and supermarkets, many products that had been shipped in quickly from the West lacked local-language labels, leaving shoppers to puzzle over what was inside. Despite advances in consumer protection, it's not like the West just yet.
Victory can be elusive for the consumer.
Mr. Balogh, for example, first took his shoes back to the shop. They sent him to the consumer-protection inspectorate. But the office said it wouldn't even hear his case until he cleaned the shoes, which were caked in mud. After a cleaning, the shop sent the shoes to the inspectorate. After several weeks, it ruled that although his claim was valid, the office couldn't help because Mr. Balogh had worn the shoes after he had noticed the problem.