Broken in the box, late delivery or maybe even the wrong product. Swedish consumers are quite diligent in complaining when purchases do not turn out as expected. Here’s what we complained about most in 2024.
– It is absolutely worth complaining because the company does not always know consumer legislation, says Maria Wiezell, consumer advisor.
A year of consumption is over and with it comes a year of complaining. And there is one category that almost always comes out on top. Something that creates headaches and irritation for many Swedes every year.
Yes, it is vehicles and mainly used cars that we complain about. These are difficult purchases, we know quite a bit and it costs a lot. And many are dependent on their car, so it’s not just a lot of money but a lot of trouble, says consumer advisor Maria Wiezell in Nyhetsmorgon.
Of all complaints received by Sweden’s consumers, just over a fifth, 21.5 percent, concern vehicles. Which is an increase from last year’s 20 percent. The organization had hoped to see an improvement in car sales, but it did not happen.
This way you make the car purchase a little safer
A car dealer has obligations just as a buyer has responsibilities. What can be said is that when a car changes owners, the seller must inform about all known defects.
If the car does not correspond to what you have the right to expect considering how old it is, how many miles it has driven and the price you paid. So look for the goods declaration, there they have to fill in whether they are normal functions or not, says Maria.
The second most common complaint concerns craftsmen and craftsman services. They account for 16 percent of all complaints.
Craft services are as complicated as a car. It happens in your home and affects you much more than just the money. And then it goes wrong, or stops and then you don’t know what to do, says Maria Wiezell.
Have we become accustomed to hassle?
One thing that stands out from the compilation of complaints according to Maria Wiezell is that we complained relatively little about travel.
It’s also a lot of money and becomes awkward when things go wrong. Maybe you have lowered the bar a little and got used to the fact that there are delays and canceled flights. It is of course not good, we should expect what has been agreed to happen, says Maria.
What we least complained about in 2024
At the bottom of the list of what we Swedes complained about the most during the year is the same type of product year after year.
It’s a bit funny because it’s basically the same since I started working in 1997. Alcohol and tobacco, we have very few complaints about that, concludes Marie Wiezell, consumer advisor Sweden’s consumers.
See the full top list of complaints in the player below.
Seven tips for you who are going to buy a used car
1. Check that the car company you are buying from is not on Råd & Rön’s black list.
2. Purchase from a dealer who is affiliated with MRF, the national organization of the motor industry, and who thereby undertakes to follow the General Complaints Board’s recommendations.
3. Ask for a goods declaration and check it carefully.
4. If you are an unsure car buyer, take a friend with more experience with you, who can ask different questions than you might.
5. Buy the car on credit and you have the opportunity to complain to the credit broker if something goes wrong.
6. Request to test drive the car.
7. Read about model year and more.
source: Sweden’s consumers
Today 06:30
Here are the buys we complained the most — and the least — about in 2024
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