Consumer Almost Always Right in Israeli Courts, Report Shows

The consumer is almost always right, at least in Israeli small-claims courts. An examination of consumer complaints by the Israel Consumers Union shows that courts rule in favor of the consumer plaintiff in suits against companies, stores and service providers 87% of the time. Courts award either full or partial monetary compensation in nearly all those cases, the Union study said.

The study examined a total of 11,115 cases brought by consumers between 2007 and 2018. The complaints were lodged against a wide variety of businesses and service providers – communications, retailers, tourism services, computers, vehicles and more. The majority of complaints – 32% – were against communications firms, while retailers accounted for 22% of complaints, and tourism 13%. Of the complaints, 44% revolved around consumers attempting to cancel a service but being unable to do so. Nineteen percent complained of being misled on terms and conditions, while 11% complained about a purchased item. Eleven percent of the complaints involved failure to follow through on warranties, while 6% were for price deception.

Economy Minister Eli Cohen said that “the numbers speak for themselves, and the court’s position on these cases is very informative and inspiring. The court’s policies succeed in reducing the differences in power between consumers and businesses, and ensures fair trade and consumer activity.”