In any advanced society, consumers must be correctly informed of their rights, obligations and everything that may affect them. For this to be possible, there are consumer associations and in the case of Spain the OCU is one of them. Its initials specifically mean Organization of Consumers and Users.
What does the OCU do?
It is a totally independent and non-profit association. Its task is to objectively inform the group of consumers about all kinds of products or services.
Those who are members of this entity have legal advice from the OCU and, at the same time, receive advice to make any type of claim or complaint in relation to the product or service purchased.
One of its objectives is to prevent and prosecute fraud in any of its forms. In this sense, the OCU verifies that the information provided to the consumer is true and reliable. To make this possible, all kinds of checks are carried out in the laboratories of this entity.
One of the purposes of the OCU is to make the whole of society aware of everything related to consumption. It should not be forgotten that the consumer is interested in several issues when purchasing a product or service: quality, price and authenticity.
Among the specific tasks that the OCU carries out, we can highlight the following: comparative analysis of different trademarks, periodic studies on the shopping cart, complaints in court about fraudulent activities, satisfaction surveys of customers who receive a specific service or campaigns. information in the media.
In the case of studies on the shopping basket, they are especially important because thanks to them, consumers have a tool to improve their savings capacity. Regarding the complaint actions before the courts of justice, the Supreme Court has declared null and void some banking clauses that were denounced by the OCU.
The activity of the OCU is related to consumers, producers and the administration
The activity of the OCU has three obvious consequences:
1) the consumer knows that he has the support of this entity,
2) the producers know that if they carry out illegal practices, the OCU can act against them and
3) the public authorities that supervise compliance with the laws related to consumption know that the OCU is an independent body and its guidelines are useful to correct the deficiencies that occur in the market.
In conclusion, it could be said that the OCU acts as an independent arbitrator at the service of the consumer and of society as a whole.
Photos: Fotolia – learchitecto / valentint
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