New advice centers in Thuringia: Consumer aid for everyone!

New advice centers in Thuringia: Consumer aid for everyone!

In a crucial initiative, the Thuringia Consumer Center has decided to expand its advisory services. From September 2025, new advice centers will open in Hildburghausen and Sonneberg in South Thuringia and in Schleiz in East Thuringia. This expansion is a clear sign that the consumer advice center focuses on rural areas and wants to strengthen the advisory services in these regions. Ralph Walther, board member of the consumer center, emphasizes the need for financial resources in the upcoming double budget 2026/27 to ensure the continued existence of the new positions

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Aktuell is available for the consumer center at the state budget, although the need is 2.7 million euros. What effects does this have on the new advice center? The missing funds result from a global minor edition, which must be compensated for by savings. Despite these challenges, the past year showed that around 10,000 consumers took personal advice. However, personnel bottlenecks in 2023 ensured that fewer advice dates could be offered

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advisory topics and challenges

The topics of advice are diverse and range from consumer law about finance, to deal with food and nutrition. In 2024 there are already 6,700 cases in the field of nutrition, while around 3,300 Thuringians used energy advice on topics such as heating exchange and photovoltaic systems. A common reason for help is online trading, which faces many consumers with challenges such as fake shops or problems when shipping. Contracts with fitness studios or supposed competitions also always cause difficulties among those seeking advice

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Especially in rural regions, it is often difficult to distinguish serious offers from dubious providers. Many people are looking for reliable information to make conscious and sustainable consumer decisions. This is where the project "Consumer Protection in Rural Agency for Young People" comes in, which provides information in cooperation with youth associations and helps to avoid debt. Technical consumer protection also offers security with regard to uncertain products and health risks

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outlook for the future

The Thuringia Consumer Center will also pay more attention to the protection of personnel and patients from radiation in health and dealing with explosive substances. A high standard of the surveillance authorities is crucial to ensure fair competitive and working conditions, while EU quick warning systems ensure that uncertain products can be quickly removed from the market. With the opening of the new advice centers and the planned measures, the consumer center will take one step further towards comprehensive consumer protection.

Overall, it can be seen that consumer protection in Thuringia is more than just a keyword. The consumer advice center ensures that help and support are available in the region and is actively committed to the rights of consumers. The coming months will show how the situation will develop with regard to the financial means and what further steps can be undertaken in this important area.