Croatians file more than 25,000 consumer complaints every year, their number is growing every year and their complaints are increasingly complicated, said a consumer protection watchdog on Thursday (March 15).

The data compiled by the Croatian Union of Consumer Protection Associations (HSUZP) was released to mark March 15, or World Consumer Rights Day.

Head of HSUZP, Ilija Rkman, said that most common complaints refer to issues related to electronic communication services, retail, online shopping, consumer contracts signed outside business premises, defective products and product guarantees, utility services, court-ordered seizures, financial and insurance services, unfair, deceitful and aggressive business practices, violations of business ethics, as well as tourism and hospitality services.

Rkman added that 2015, 2016 and 2017 were years in which complaints about court seizures, electronic product defects and electronic communication services were the most common categories. According to annual Eurobarometer reports, Croatia ranked bottom of the EU for the past four years in consumer protection.

According to research by the economy ministry, and based on their own database of consumer complaints, 42 percent of all complaints referred to defective products, especially electronic devices, while 23 percent referred to services, especially electronic communication.