A coordination center has been operating since Wednesday, which will assist in monitoring and controlling the introduction of the euro. The topic of consumer problems surrounding the transition from lev to euro was commented on in the program “This Saturday and Sunday“ by the chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC), Alexander Kolyachev.
The CPC has identified cases and received signals about merchants who return change only in levs. According to Kolyachev, the law is categorical: if the merchant has cash in euros, the change must be returned entirely in euros, regardless of whether the payment was made in levs or euros. The only exception is when the euro balance is exhausted, when, exceptionally, change in levs can be returned.
Consumers cannot be forced to pay only with a bank card. The customer has the right to choose payment in cash – in levs or euros, or by card.
The CPC already has complaints about gas stations and commercial establishments that have introduced payment only by card — a practice that is subject to sanctions.
Fines for violations start at 5,000 leva and can reach significantly higher amounts. For first violations, the CPC applies lower sanctions, but for repeated violations — the fines will be at the upper limit.
If a counterfeit banknote is suspected, the merchant may refuse to accept it. The police recommend that the banknote be checked at a regional office. If it is not counterfeit, it is seized without penalty for the owner. Attempting to distribute counterfeit money is a crime, the institutions remind.
With the introduction of the euro, the signals to the CPC are increasing:
4152 complaints in the last week alone
1400 telephone consultations
The most common complaints are about:
incorrect currency conversion
refusal to pay in cash
demanding exact amounts
refusal to sell tickets in public transport in the absence of change
The CPC has carried out massive inspections in school canteens in Sofia after signals of price increases of between 5% and 50% and incorrect currency conversion.
Together with the Sofia Municipality, the problem is resolved, and prices have been returned to the old levels. Sanctions for food suppliers are between 5,000 and 200,000 leva. Similar inspections are also pending throughout the country.
Banks and currency exchange
During the mandatory free exchange period, banks are not allowed to charge fees. Control in this sector is the competence of the BNB. The CPC notes that not all signals are confirmed during inspection.
The CPC works with “mystery shoppers“ and in close cooperation with the NRA. Inspections are carried out both on the basis of signals and thematically.
The Commission has launched large-scale inspections of parking lots due to drastic price increases — for example, from 4 leva to 4 euros or from 320 leva per month to 200 euros. In the absence of economic justification, sanctions are envisaged.
The CPC also checks prices through websites, mobile applications and data from cash registers in order to compare values before and after the introduction of the euro.
The Commission calls on consumers to report suspected violations, and traders to strictly comply with the law, as control will be intensified.