SLK: Fewer complaints
Since 2005, the number of complaints filed with the Swiss Fair Trading Commission (SLK) has declined. This is due to the fees for individual complaints that were introduced a year ago.
This is what the SLK writes in a press release on Friday. The development is as striking as it is desirable: After the facts of "aggressive sales methods" had increased enormously in 2011 and accounted for almost two thirds of the total of 441 complaints, the SLK decided to charge a fee for this type of complaint. The measure has worked and brought welcome relief for the commission: complaints in this category have fallen from 62.1 percent to 40 percent. At the same time, the total number of complaints has dropped to 297. This is the lowest figure since 2008, according to the statement.
The percentage of media has developed accordingly: Complaints against advertising by telephone and fax have decreased from 58.7 percent to 40.0 percent. By contrast, the number of complaints against Internet advertising has risen (16.5 percent) and, for some time now, also against direct marketing (14.2 percent). Complaints against TV advertising are almost traditionally low. Since 2007 (4.4 percent), the figure has leveled off at a low 1 to 2 percent.
An upward trend can be seen in the cases of "misleading" and "sexism". There has been a relatively significant increase in the number of complaints, particularly in the case of sexism, from 3.1 percent in the previous year to 10.3 percent in 2012. This figure was only higher in 2007 (15.7 percent). It should be noted, however, that a single particularly striking campaign is enough to significantly increase the statistics in question. This was the case, for example, with an advertising campaign in Ticino for an Internet erotic portal, against which a dozen complaints were received.
