SignalConso: a mobile app for the site that protects consumers

SignalConso is a free public service of the Directorate General of Consumer Affairs, Competition and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) that allows consumers to report problems encountered with companies. It offers a online reporting platform. With a few clicks, the user can escalate a problem encountered during a purchase or a contract: delay of delivery, difficulty in getting reimbursed, false promotions, refusal of guarantee, unfair clauses, price not displayed, etc.

SignalConso, for what?

SignalConso’s goals:

• to provide a forum for dialog between consumers and traders;
• enable the latter to find an amicable solution;
• accompany the consumer in his steps to clarify his rights and direct him to the appropriate interlocutor: ReplyConso (call and mail processing center of DGCCRF), consumer association, consumer ombudsman, justice, etc. ;
• allow the DGCCRF to identify recurring reports and thus better target its controls.

For the professional, it is a space to directly manage a problem with dissatisfied customers and limit negative reviews on the internet.

The SignalConso mobile app

Since May 22, SignalConso is also available on smartphone with a free mobile app dedicated, available on App Store and Play Store, which allows even more responsiveness in the steps.

The application offers the same features as the site, with mobile-friendly design and user paths. It meets accessibility standards for visually impaired persons.

With this application, it is a question of being as close as possible to digital usage, while the share of purchases made on the Internet is increasing: 77% of the total population made purchases on the Internet in the last 12 months.

You can find the following changes on the mobile version of SignalConso:

• the route

  purchase dispute

  distinguishes between in-store shopping and online shopping, the latter account for about half of the reports. For example, the specific internet trail can be used to report an influencer who is engaging in misleading advertising;
• the route

  improper solicitation

   has been revised to allow reporting of companies canvassing outside the time permitted by the new legislation;
• a specific course for sporting events, in French and English, is scheduled for September 2023 in preparation for the Rugby World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

How does it work on the website and the app?

Have you encountered a problem with a professional, a business, a store or on the Internet?

In this case you can use SignalConso.

1. Indicate the problem encountered among the proposed themes:

• Purchase in Store,
• Buying on the internet,
• Internet (excluding purchases)
• Work/Renovation,
• Telephony/Internet Service Provider/Media,
• Travel/Leisure,
• Bank/Insurance/Mutual,
• Café/Restaurant,
• Car/Vehicle/Bicycle,
• Services to individuals,
• Water/Gas/Electricity
• Real estate,
• Administrative procedures,
• Food poisoning,
• Health sector,
• Animals,
• Unreasonable canvassing.

2. A series of questions will help answer your problem more precisely. You can optionally add attachments. You have the choice of remaining anonymous vis-à-vis the professional (if you have decided to transmit your contact details, the merchant can answer you directly).

3. You must specify whether you want to:

• solve your personal problem with the company;
• Report a problem with a professional to improve it
• inform you of your rights in the event of a dispute (in this case, a DGCCRF advisor will contact you).

4. Identify the company and fill in your contact information in order to be kept informed.

5. Your application is registered. The DGCCRF will inform you of the status of your application:

• you receive a notification from the DGCCRF of the filing of the report;
• it shall then inform you when the trader has taken note of your alert;
• if the government is slow to respond, it will revive it.

The report is recorded in the DGCCRF database (even if not a formal referral). In case of too many reports or if the problem is considered serious by the investigators, combating fraud may intervene or monitor the trader more closely.