About this service
When a consumer's rights are violated, the law gives not only the court route but a special administrative one: filing an application with the Georgian National Competition and Consumer Protection Agency or the regulator of the relevant field. This procedure is faster and less costly than litigation, but it demands its own discipline: deadlines, evidence and a correct plan for reacting to the decision. This service helps consumers and businesses precisely within that administrative procedure — from preparing the application to appealing the Agency's decision.
Where the consumer applies
The law gives the consumer a choice: on a violation, the consumer may apply to the public-law legal entity — the Georgian National Competition and Consumer Protection Agency — or to the authorised regulator of the relevant field. This right does not cancel the right to apply to a court or arbitration, or to resolve the dispute through mediation — the administrative and judicial routes complement rather than replace each other. A distinction matters too: the Agency's competence does not extend to separately regulated sectors where consumer protection is ensured by the sector's own regulator; in such a case the Agency merely forwards the application to the relevant organ and informs the declarant.
How the examination begins
The grounds for opening an examination are defined by law: the declarant may submit an application concerning a suspected violation of consumer rights; the Agency opens an examination where it has information that, as a result of a specific person's actions, the rights of a group of consumers are violated or may be violated, and there is a reasonable supposition that the group's interests will be or may be harmed. The Agency's principal instrument is thus the protection of group interests — and the text of the application must fit that: not merely a personal story, but a showing of how the violation affects others as well.
Deadlines and procedure of the examination
The deadlines are fixed by law and knowing them is the declarant's chief instrument. Within 10 working days of the filing the Agency notifies the declarant of its reaction or of the absence of grounds. The examination must be completed within 1 month of the decision to open it; taking account of its significance and complexity, it may be extended by no more than 3 months. The running of the deadlines is suspended where additional information is requested or an expertise is appointed. The trader's position is protected too: within 3 working days of the decision to open the examination the Agency informs the trader and grants at least 5 working days to present a position. Where necessary the Agency appoints an expertise, if a substantiated decision is impossible without a conclusion — and where a violation is established, the trader must fully reimburse the cost of the expertise.