Every household in Ireland is to receive a credit card -sized card outlining core consumer rights, it was announced today.
The 1.2 million cards will be distributed over the next fortnight by the National Consumer Agency (NCA). The agency was established by the Government in May of last year on the recommendation of the Consumer Strategy Group (CSG) report .
Research carried out by the CSG revealed that fewer than one in five consumers have a confident knowledge of their rights. Over 90 per cent of those surveyed believe that they need to be better educated about consumer rights.
Among the rights described on the card are a warning to consumers to act quickly on complaints, and the fact that a refund is not an entitlement if someone simply changes their mind.
The project forms the second phase of the agency's rights awareness campaign, which was launched before Christmas and is scheduled to continue until the end of this year. In addition to the distribution of the card, a television, radio and billboard advertisement campaign is planned.
Unveiling the campaign today, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin said that NCA was established to act as a "forceful advocate" for the consumer.
"An educated consumer is an empowered consumer. I would encourage all households to retain the card and ensure that they refer to it if in any doubt of their rights," he said.