Uk: Consumers do by themselves

Consumers? associations have disappointed their expectations. And so they decided to do by themselves. That?s the reason why in Great Britain many consumers starts actions of civil disobbedience to protests againist inefficiencies and swildles of service companies. ?This is a long term trend – explains Mark Ratcliffe, chief of a British research institute on consumers – In the last 10 years the probabilities that political parties and official lobbies solve problems have decreased. And when nobody listen to you, there are two possibilities: you loose erery hopes or you do something by yourself?.

British consumers chose the second solution and started action againist sercice companies. Transports and finance: British consumers have made their voice louder in various fields. The goal is attacking companies where they are more sensitive: on profits. In 2006 at least 10 consumers? groups decided not to pay bills or to ask money back to various public services, banks and software producers. You can call them ?militant consumers?. Beyond this renewed committment there is a website (www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk) which dispenses legal advices and application forms to formalize protests againist companies.

In January, for example, a group of train commuters from Bath to Bristol launched the ?More train less strain? campaign. To protest againist train overcrowded, they caught the train with fake tickets in which it was written down ?Roundtrip ticket to Hell?. The outcome? The railway company provided to add coaches. The first success of a new civil movement?

www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk