At the request of Olivia Grégoire, French Minister Delegate with responsibility for Business, Tourism and Consumption, and to coincide with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has tailored its SignalConso platform to English-speaking consumers, providing an English translation of the website and app for tourists to use during their stay in France.
Overcharging for transport fares, hotel rooms not matching their descriptions, fraudulent service offerings and counterfeit goods: just like any consumer, foreign visitors need to be protected. To guarantee them the utmost protection during their stay, particularly during the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the DGCCRF has launched an English version of the SignalConso platform, available online and as a mobile app.
With almost 870,000 reports filed on SignalConso since 2020, nearly 12% of which concern tourism-oriented industries (travel, entertainment, cafés/restaurants), consumers recognise the value of this free, mobile, and user-friendly tool, and the SignalConso smartphone app has been downloaded more than 160,000 times. The English version allows international tourists to report any consumer issues (e.g. lack of information, hidden services, defective or dangerous products/services) and contact traders (physical and online stores, entertainment, transport, cafés/restaurants) with just a few clicks. With out-of-court settlements of disputes encouraged between consumers and traders, non-French-speaking visitors can use SignalConso to find solutions to any consumer issues that may arise during their stay.
Additionally, by enhancing SignalConso’s accessibility for foreign visitors, the DGCCRF will be able to more rapidly detect emerging cases of fraud aimed at tourists and identify traders who are frequently reported in tourist-oriented industries.
To strengthen the visibility of this service among visitors during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Olivia Grégoire asked the French Ministry of Economics, and Finance and the Government Information Service to deploy a poster campaign in places frequented by tourists such as airports, train stations, shopping centers.
Finally, ReponseConso is also a public service dedicated to providing consumer information. It replies to all questions about consumption issues by phone (in French and English). ReponseConso can be reached from Monday to Friday at +33 809 540 550 (toll-free number).
