Consumer protection

Protection of consumer rights are important to all, because everybody buys goods and uses services. That is why it is essential to everyone that his or her rights are protected while making purchases – so that goods one buys are safe and do not harm one’s health or danger one’s life, so that information given is complete and real, so that advertisements are not misleading, so that there are no unjust provisions of the contracts and so that consumers can exercise their rights. Consumer Rights Protection Centre (CRPC) ensures operation of Consumer Rights Protection Law, Advertising Law, Law on the Safety of Goods and Services, Law on Information Society Services, as well as other laws and many regulations of Cabinet of Ministers, that regulate consumer rights in Latvia.

To ensure implementation of functions entrusted to us, CRPC main tasks are as follows:
1) supervising and controlling of the market:
- supervising commerce of non-food goods (except the sections where in accordance with laws and regulations the market supervision and control are within the competence of other institutions);
- supervising of information about goods and services, as well as information given by manufacturers, traders or service providers, for it to be in compliance with laws and regulations;
- supervising of correct determination of food and non-food goods’ weight and size, correct calculation of good’s price, as well as supervising of prices’ indication procedure;
- supervising of services;
- supervising of e-commerce and e-business – providing of information, fulfillment of contract, etc.

To supervise consumer rights protection CRPC cooperates with nongovernmental organizations at consumer rights protection and other state institutions. 
2) reviewing of consumer complaints about violation of consumer rights, inter alia:
- rendering of assistance to consumers in solving disputes with traders and service providers;
- requiring of fulfillment of lawful demands of consumers;
- controlling of procedure how consumer declares claim about non-conformity of the goods or services with the provisions of the contract; providing legal aid to consumers regarding their rights;
- protection of air passengers’ rights and rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterway;
-  organizing the operation of the Commission for Solving the Consumer Disputes (carrying out the functions of the secretariat of the commission).

3) protection of consumers’ economic interests – supervision of advertising and supervising of contracts’ projects and contracts which consumers conclude with traders and service providers to comply with consumers rights, inter alia:
- to perform actions planned in laws and regulations, so that trader and service provider changed project of the contract or terminated fulfillment of provisions of contract, when unjust or unclear provisions are found in project of the contract or in concluded contract;
- to supervise being in compliance with laws and regulations of crediting contracts, distance contracts and other contracts;
- to verify if contracts concluded by consumers include procedure given in laws and regulations for announcement and exploitation of refusal rights;
- to evaluate compliance with laws and regulations of providing of complex tourism services;
- protection of consumers’ collective interests;
- supervising of e-commerce and e-business – providing of information, fulfillment of contract, etc.;
- to evaluate compliance with laws and regulations of advertising and to make according decisions.

4) information of consumers, traders, service providers and manufacturers
5) supervising of state metrology – supervising of measuring instruments and control of prepacked goods