Ombudsman’s office for E-Commerce
The E-Commerce ombudsman’s office is responsible for complaints in connection with online purchases for which no amicable agreement could be reached between the parties concerned. The ombudsman’s office will help you free of charge if you have a complaint about a particular company following an online purchase that you have not been able to resolve yourself or reach a mutually satisfactory agreement.
Costs / Contact
Conditions of the E-Commerce Ombudsman’s Office
The services of our E-Commerce ombudsman’s office are free of charge and are handled by our legal advice service. In any case, you must submit your enquiry via our Online form.
The ombudsman’s office can be contacted by telephone on 031 380 50 34 on the following days:
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 12:00
Postal address
Ombudsman’s Office E-Commerce
c/o Konsumentenforum kf
Belpstrasse 11
3007 Berne
Procedure - Submitting a complaint
1. Contact the contracting party
Contact the customer service department of the company concerned and describe your problem. Experience has shown that most disputes can be resolved in this way.
2. Contact the ombudsman’s office
If the problem could not be resolved directly, send us your correspondence (e.g. e-mail correspondence) with the company. Tell us about your problem and why you are not satisfied, including the full history of the case. Based on this, the ombudsman’s office will make a decision, which constitutes a recommendation and is intended to help find a consensus.
3. Submit an appeal if necessary
If you do not agree with the recommendation of the court of first instance, you can lodge an appeal with the Ombudsman Board. The Ombudsman Board will then deal with the case and make its own decision, which is independent of the first decision.
4. Civil law steps
If one of the contracting parties (consumer or company) does not agree with the appeal decision, the only remaining option is to take legal action under civil law. The ombudsman’s office does not represent the parties and is neutral. However, the decisions of the first and second instance can be used by the court.
