7/2007

• From the Editor: Constant work is required to ensure the functioning of the housing market
• New sales and financing models on a collision course with the obligation to indicate prices
• Shortcomings observed in the marketing of prefabricated houses
• Customer has the right to an impartial inspection
• Real estate and housing agency legislation working well
• Rewards for real estate tips raise serious questions
• Finnish Consumer Agency tells real estate company to stop bonus system
• New selling methods must comply with price marking requirements
• Igglo Soolo's contract terms were meant to circumvent legislation
• Brokerage fee can only be collected from the commissioning party
• Services included in free appraisal must be clearly indicated
• Real estate agency must also consider the other party's interests
• European standard on services of real estate agents being prepared
• Campaign reveals shortcomings in the marketing of homes
• Finnish Consumer Agency monitors furnishing of insolvency securities
• Tenants' legal security improved

6/2007

• How well does market theory work?
• Consumer Law Division: impulses and means (pdf)
• Revising consumer directives an important but demanding project
• Will consumers benefit from the full harmonization of rules concerning retail financial services?
• OECD developing consumer policy tools for decision-makers
• Summary of the main points in the Summary Report of the Second Roundtable on Economics for Consumer
• Criteria for setting priorities and Chancellor of Justice's views help in balancing demand and resources
• Basic market surveillance requires carefully planned measures
• Guidelines are part of market surveillance work
• Commission improving cooperation between national authorities
• Consumers should also be compensated for infringements of competition rules
• Procedures being developed to ensure redress for consumers
• Finnish practices to ensure that consumers can obtain individual redress
• Special legislation is needed for private parking control  

5/2007

• From the Editor: Towards the common good
• Consumer viewpoint in loyalty marketing - results from a new barometer
• Loyalty marketing rules promote market efficiency
• Britain working to weed out excesses in cosmetics advertising
• TV games cause problems also for adults
• Promotional games take advantage of minors' lack of experience
• Which comes first, the user or technology?
• Complaints about the marketing of natural products
• Consumers should have access to source materials
• Offensive and threatening elements used in advertising
• Firms should be more careful about checking ads
• Price must be indicated regardless of the medium
• New solutions being sought for problems in rail services  

    
4/2007 (Theme: Electricity)

• From the Editor: Successful competition on the electricity market requires good consumer protection  
• Consumers must be clearly informed of changes in electricity rates  
• Prices within the sphere of the obligation to deliver must be reasonable
• Telemarketing of electricity must comply with legislation  
• Fixed-duration electricity contracts cannot be automatically extended
• Outages should be taken into account in pricing  
• Information in electricity bills is important to take advantage of competition  
• Reliability of electricity distribution needs to be improved
• Demand flexibility a possible solution to demand peaks  

3/2007

• From the Editor: Is the consumer king or victim in the market economy?  
• Finnish Government and EU set challenges to improve consumers' position
• Copyright system can also be developed from a consumer viewpoint  
• Consumers' basic rights in a digital environment
• Public service customers' position needs clarifying in the EU
• Consumer viewpoint still missing in Finnish Waste Act
• Bank customers have the right to a debit card
• Consumer protection not given adequate consideration in mobile commerce
• Incorrect information on 3G coverage can be grounds for cancelling a contract
• Statement regarding the effect of voluntary payment agreements on the expiration of debts
• Stricter rules on telemarketing demanded in Norway and Sweden  
• Violence in headline posters is hard to weed out
• Public authorities and business disagree about alcohol advertising in Finland
• Passengers must be informed of the operating carrier  
• Work never ends in basic surveillance of marketing and contract terms  
• Finnish Consumer Ombudsman intervenes in DNA's contract terms
• Nordea reprimanded for providing incomplete information
• Thomas Wilhelmsson elected president of the International Association of Consumer Law  

2/2007

• From the Editor : When image is not enough  
• Consumer law themes in 2007 at the Finnish Consumer Agency
• Advertisers stretching the rules in promotional games
• Giveaways distort price competition
• Parliamentary State Auditors say consumer authorities should have stronger tools  
• Finnish Consumer Agency and Communications Regulatory Authority studying telecom operators' contract terms  
• Sellers need to know more about digital receivers  
• Competition in banking services in the EU difficult  
• Changing insurance policy terms would weaken consumers' position  
• Legal security must be taken into consideration in speeding up debt collection
• Ruling on advertising supplements leaves open questions  
• Supreme Court ruling on the indication of prices ends debate on image marketing
• Supreme Court ruling clarifies content of elk collision insurance  
• Scope of cassette charges not expanded
• Reform of EU consumer rules should boost cross-border shopping  
• News from abroad   

1/2007