Rathwood tops Irish complaints list with 737 gripes in H1

CCPC Director of Communications Aoibhín de Búrca said 91% of consumers took action after calling the helpline, and nearly 40% of complaints were resolved. She added that almost half of consumers had to contact the retailer more than five times before getting anywhere.

"Now that we have this research, it will inform our work," de Búrca said. She pointed to a recent case where the CCPC, using intelligence from the helpline, secured the return of €250,000 in unspent gift card credit to Irish consumers from JD Sports.

She said the CCPC had taken successful prosecutions against six major retailers and two second-hand car dealers in the last 18 months for misleading consumers. Current law requires the CCPC to prosecute through the courts, where a judge sets the fine. Recent cases have incurred fines of just €1,000.

"This is why we welcome the commitment made by the Government to give the CCPC new powers to impose fines for breaches of consumer protection laws," de Búrca said. "We want the fines to be higher to deter businesses from breaking the law."

The CCPC also referred nearly 6,000 consumers to the Small Claims Court in the first six months of the year.