The amendments introduced by Decree-Law no. 118/2009 of 19 May and by Administrative Rule no. 866/2009 of 13 August regarding the legal regime governing the provision of complaint books, established by Decree-Law no. 156/2005 of 15 September and Decree-Law no. 371/2007 of 6 November, come into force today.
The amendments establish the operation, from today, of the Telematic Network of Common Information (TNCI), an online database which regulatory authorities, including ANACOM, and the entities responsible for market oversight will use to record and process complaints received through complaint books or, alternatively, the provision of links between the TNCI and their own complaint handling networks, where available, providing data communication between the two networks.
The Directorate General for the Consumer (DGC) is charged with managing the TNCI and keeping it updated, whereas the establishment, the management and maintenance of the technological support platform is the responsibility of the National Mint (INCM).
The involvement of the DGC, the regulators and the entities responsible for market oversight in the TNCI was formalised through the signing, on 4 August 2009, of the protocol of participation in the TNCI, with additional participation by the project's technology partners, INCM and the General Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.
The aim of the TNCI is to ensure communication and the exchange of information on consumer conflict resulting from complaints and to provide for their storage and management on the part of regulators and market oversight authorities. It will provide those who make complaints and those who are the object of complaints with access to information on their complaint and, in general, greater transparency with respect to the functioning of the market.
As such, those filing complaints, as well as suppliers and service providers covered by complaints, will have access to TNCI to check the status of the processing of their complaints.
Consult:
- Rede Telemática de Informação Comum http://rtic.consumidor.pt/home
