The Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman ( no, Forbrukerombudet) is a government-appointed
ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
for
consumer affairs
Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...
.
The office was established in 1973 with
Inger Louise Valle
Inger Louise Valle (28 November 1921 – 21 May 2006) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party, particularly noted for her efforts to reform the Norwegian penal system. She is the mother of professor Jan Grund.
Biography
She represented ...
as the first holder. The office of the consumer ombudsman sees to it that the
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
of
goods
In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants
and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...
and
services
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...
is done in accordance with marketing law. Specifically, the office acts in the interests of consumers to seek to prevent market abuses in conflict with the provisions stipulated in or pursuant to the Norwegian Marketing Control Act. The Consumer Ombudsman, acting on her or his own initiative or on the basis of communications from others, encourages all businesspersons to conduct their activities in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The Ombudsman also seeks to ensure that terms and conditions are not used in any way that may harm consumers. The office of the Consumer Ombudsman received attention internationally since it ruled that the
iTunes Music Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,000 ...
's contract terms violates Norwegian consumer and marketing law.
The ombudsman handles around 8,500 cases each year, both on its own initiative and stemming from
complaint
In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...
s from consumer and business-holders.
Official website, 'About Us' section (in Norwegian) Decisions by the ombudsman can be appealed to the Norwegian Market Council.
Bjørn Erik Thon
Bjørn Erik Thon (born 6 February 1964) is a Norwegian jurist and ombudsman.
Career
He graduated as cand.jur. in 1989. From 1999 to 2000, during the first cabinet Bondevik Thon worked as a political advisor in the Ministry of Justice and the ...
led the office of the Consumer Ombudsman from 2000 to 2010, and was succeeded by Gry Nergård. Her term of office lasts for six years.
References
External links
The Consumer Ombudsman and the Market Council
Consumer Ombudsman
Consumer
1973 establishments in Norway
Organizations established in 1973
Ombudsman posts
Consumer rights agencies
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