20 Years ECC Slovenia
Since 2014, operating under the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, ECC Slovenia has worked tirelessly to bring European consumer protection closer to citizens. It has established a strong track record in visibility, collaboration, and direct support to consumers. Below are some highlights from the past two decades.
The Legendary bus tour
To mark the 15th anniversary of the ECC network in 2015, ECC Slovenia launched a nationwide campaign, hitting the road in a vintage British double-decker bus. Over the course of a week, the bus toured towns across the country, where the ECC team—joined by representatives from SOLVIT, Europe Direct contact points, the Market Inspectorate, and others—provided direct advice to citizens, distributed informative materials, and brought EU consumer rights to life. The campaign was so well received that it became a recurring initiative for World Consumer Rights Day in the years that followed.
Meeting people where they are
Remaining close to consumers is a guiding principle for ECC Slovenia. Each year, the centre organizes public events with a thematic twist—often in collaboration with well-known Slovenian media personalities. One particularly memorable event was a partnership with a small appliance repair expert, where consumers could bring broken devices for on-the-spot repair, promoting both sustainability and practical consumer empowerment.
Creativity, wishes, and consumer joy
During the holiday season, ECC Slovenia set up a festive stand where citizens could decorate a Christmas tree with their consumer "wishes" and receive symbolic gifts. The response was overwhelming—joy, creativity, and engagement filled the space. It was more than outreach; it was community building.
Policy impact and institutional cooperation
ECC Slovenia’s role extends beyond direct consumer support. Three years ago, the team presented its work at the national gathering of Market Inspectors, establishing personal contacts and strengthening ties for future cooperation. More recently, in 2024 and 2025, drawing on the data and experience of the ECC network, ECC Slovenia actively contributed to shaping national positions on the revision of the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation—a vital piece of legislation for consumer mobility in Europe.
From symbolic Christmas trees to serious policy shaping, ECC Slovenia continues to prove that effective consumer protection is both human and systemic. Here's to the next 20 years of impact!
Extraordinary cases solved by ECC Slovenia
ECC Slovenia shares two cases that were somewhat extraordinary. The first case concerns a package holiday, where the quality of the hotel services did not align with what the consumer could reasonably have expected. The second case is about a poor-quality product, which was also manufactured in a different country to the one advertised.
Package holiday booked with a local travel agency
A Slovenian consumer booked a package holiday to Cuba through a local travel agency, purchasing an all-inclusive ten-day stay at a five-star hotel for herself and her parents. The Slovenian travel agency acted only as an intermediary in the sale of the package tour, while the actual organizer was a travel agency based in Germany. Before signing the contract, she specifically asked the travel agency to check the situation in Cuba regarding essential services such as electricity, water, and food. The agency assured her that everything was in order. The consumer was aware of the advantages of choosing a package travel arrangement and believed she had taken a step in the right direction, expecting her trip to go according to plan.
However, problems began almost immediately. Upon arrival in Cuba, no representative from the travel agency was present at the airport, and the consumer spent over half an hour trying to find the transfer bus. The transport to the hotel was chaotic and took a long time due to logistical mistakes.
Hotel conditions below expectations
Conditions at the hotel were far below expectations. The room was not properly prepared, beds were incorrectly arranged, hygiene standards were poor, and there was a lack of towels and basic necessities such as toilet paper and soap. The food was repetitive and of low quality, and wild birds were flying around the buffet area and feeding on the hotel's food. Frequent power outages and unstable internet access further worsened the experience. Hotel staff were slow, unhelpful, and often delayed the oApening of services. The overall standard did not match what the consumer was promised for a five-star hotel.
Hard to reach agency claims force majeure
Despite raising complaints with the agency's representative, who noted the consumer's issues and promised to send a copy of the report by email, they never received any follow-up. Attempts to contact the agency via their app only triggered automated replies, and the consumer was eventually offered a €150 voucher as compensation, with the company citing force majeure due to a hurricane. However, the hurricane took place on the opposite side of the country and was unrelated to the problems the consumer and her family experienced.
Given that the flight was the only part of the trip that went as expected, the consumer requested a 70% refund, stating that the rest of the service did not match what was promised in the contract.
Mediation by ECC Slovenia
The consumer turned for help to ECC Slovenia, where our legal experts studied the consumer's case and prepared it for network intervention with ECC Germany. Under EU Directive 2015/2302 (Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements), consumers benefit from special consumer protection under European law. Following the intervention of the ECC network, the travel agency responded and offered a refund of €600, which the consumer accepted. Although the amount offered by the trader was lower than expected, it was still significantly higher than what the consumer had been offered on-site. The consumer was very satisfied with the assistance provided by the ECC network.
Product did not meet the advertised quality
A Slovenian consumer purchased a sound therapy product from a trader in France. The product consisted of crystal singing bowls used for treatments that promote deep relaxation, meditation, stress reduction, and the balancing of body chakras and emotional states.
Damaged singing bowl
A consumer bought a set of 8 crystal bowls intended for sound healing and paid over €2,000 for the product. After only a short period of use, the consumer noticed damage to one of the bowls, which no longer resonated harmoniously with the others. She immediately contacted the trader, pointing out the poor quality of the product and requested a partial refund. She also discovered that the origin of the product was China, not France, as claimed by the trader. Additionally, she found similar products online for three times less than what she had paid. The trader denied that the products were of inferior quality and refused her claim.
Trader claims improper use of the product
The consumer turned to ECC Slovenia for help. The case was forwarded to ECC France, where colleagues reached out to the trader. The trader denied any fault, claiming that the bowl had likely not been maintained properly and that, if it had a defect, it would have shown up immediately. They emphasized that the product was not a musical instrument but an energetic, vibrational, and sound tool intended primarily for professional use in alternative health practices.
ECC Slovenia and ECC France persist to find a solution
For some time, it seemed the case would not be resolved successfully. However, the trader eventually changed their stance and agreed to the consumer’s claim by sending her a replacement singing bowl for sound therapy.
The consumer was very satisfied with the offered solution and stressed that without the intervention of the ECC network, her case would not have been successfully resolved.
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ECC Slovenia?
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