Consumer complaints rise in Cyprus

In a substantial leap from 2022, the Cyprus Consumer Association reported a noteworthy spike in four complaint categories in 2023.

Returns Policy complaints soared by 166%, while grievances concerning Email Fraud and Accuracy and Cost of Living rose by 161% and 148%, respectively. Notably, Online Scams witnessed an 111% surge.

The overall increase in written consumer complaints reached 7.6%, with a staggering 79% spike in telephone complaints. Not mentioned in the data but still prevalent were issues like public service bureaucracy, electricity charges after the end of subsidies, electricity meter reading disputes and consumer woes from rising prices on essential goods, fuel and electricity.

From 2022 to 2023, complaints rose from 44 to 93 – an alarming increase of 111.4%. Inside the market, meanwhile, another headache emerged in the categories of Price Discrepancies and Shelf/Cash Register Issues. These grievances rose from 165 in 2022 to 270 in 2023, marking a substantial 63.6% increase.

In 2022, 89 complaints on prices were registered; by 2023 that number skyrocketed 148.3% to 221.