The Bonn advice center of the NRW consumer advice center is a central point of contact for questions relating to everyday consumer life and private consumption. According to the Bonn Consumer Advice Center, the demand for advice and support is very high. In addition to the "classic" topics of telecommunications contracts, newspaper subscriptions, debt collection claims, tradesmen's bills, travel or gym contracts, there has also been an increase in problems with payment service providers or fraudulent transactions on the doorstep, telephone or Internet in recent years.
Entrustment for a further five years
People with low incomes, low self-help potential and multiple problems in particular urgently need advice and help from the consumer advice center. The Council has now agreed to extend the entrustment of the NRW Bonn Consumer Advice Center for a further five years. In return, the Bonn advice center will receive a maximum annual grant of 295,500 euros from the city of Bonn. The City of Bonn and the state of NRW will each provide 50 percent of the funding.
The existing contract between the City of Bonn and the NRW Consumer Advice Center for the operation of an advice center for consumers in Bonn expires at the end of the year. The council resolution not only secures the general consumer advice service, but also the outreach district advice service, which was initially carried out as a project and, following a positive response, was made permanent and integrated into the contract for the first time.
Valuable additional component of municipal services of general interest
"Thanks to the wide range of services offered by the Bonn Consumer Advice Center, those seeking advice, whose problems are complex and multi-layered and often affect several areas of advice, can be helped quickly and increasingly by telephone and digitally. It represents a valuable additional component of local public services," says Victoria Appelbe, Economic Development Officer for the City of Bonn. Susanne Bauer-Jautz, head of the Bonn advice center, adds: "We want to strengthen people's financial and consumer skills and protect their legal interests. Our uncomplicated access makes it easy for us to reach citizens and we can perform our sensor and early warning function with regard to legal pitfalls in everyday consumer life and, under certain circumstances, also intervene in terms of regulatory policy by issuing warnings and taking legal action."
Easily accessible help on site too
The basic services of general consumer advice are available to all end consumers. In addition to legal advice, this also includes advice on money and credit problems and insurance issues. Another focus of the service is the problems of vulnerable consumers.
In the four districts of Tannenbusch, Dransdorf, Medinghoven and Pennenfeld, the consumer advice center offers a weekly low-threshold consultation hour and needs-based campaigns and prevention events in addition to the advice center in Bonn city center. The outreach consumer work reaches a population group with the highest objective need, but at the same time the lowest potential for self-help. The consumer advice center is established in the municipal help system and supplements municipal services.
Preventive work in schools and youth facilities
In addition, the consumer advice center also offers preventative consumer education measures in schools and youth facilities with the aim of strengthening the consumer and financial skills of young consumers. For example, teaching units provide information on concluding sales contracts, smartphone and internet offers as well as insurance and current accounts. The aim is to sensitize young consumers to prevent crisis situations from arising in the first place.