The number of complaints related to car dealerships is on the rise – especially disputes about used cars

To the Consumer Disputes Board the most complaints last year were about car dealerships, the board says.

Last year, the board received more than 7,100 requests for solutions, of which approximately 1,400 were related to the car trade. According to the board, the number of car sales disputes has increased by 40 percent in two years. According to the board, the vast majority of car sales disputes concerned sales of used cars.

“The difference can be explained by the increase in sales of used cars and the decline in sales of new cars,” the announcement says.

Apartment rental the number of disputes concerning increased clearly last year. According to the board, rent disputes usually involve withholding the rental deposit after the end of the tenancy, for example based on alleged wear and tear and lack of cleaning.

The number of disputes regarding housing sales decreased again. Also, requests for solutions related to construction and renovations were still in a clear decline. The board expects the decrease in the amount to continue with the changes made to the household deduction.

Electricity supply according to the board, the decrease in the number of requests for solutions was somewhat unexpected.

“Consumers’ behavior must have been influenced by the absolutely negative attitude of electricity companies to many of the board’s solutions regarding electricity prices. The recommendations have not been followed,” the release says.

In addition, the board considers that it is not worth submitting new requests for solutions until the cases pending in the courts have been resolved. According to the board, one of the matters it decides is pending in the Kymenlaakso district court. It concerns the reasonableness of the price of a fixed-term electricity contract after the circumstances have changed.

“The legal issues related to the price of electricity concern a wide range of citizens, and their legal solutions can significantly affect the number of requests for solutions that come to the board in the future,” says the chairman of the board Pauli Ståhlberg in the bulletin.