Cost of living: price watchdog receives most complaints since 2012
Last year the Swiss price watchdog received more complaints than at any time since 2012.
“On Tuesday we counted 2,768 complaints in many different areas for the past year,” said Stefan Meierhans.
Both private individuals and small and medium-sized businesses turned to the price watchdog, Meierhans said in an interview with Blick published on Thursday. Many were concerned about the high ticket prices on public transport. “Many commuters, but also pensioners who want to go shopping, are dependent on buses and trains,” he said.
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The rise in postal tariffs caused displeasure in the business world. Small companies in rural areas in particular suffered as they no longer received individual discounts.
“Here, small businesses are suffering under a company that is 100% owned by the state,” said Meierhans. “If state-owned companies of all things are not role models for the population, that must give pause for thought.”
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Meierhans had already identified an increase in complaints in September. The development thus followed a trend.
“Last year, I received a total of 2,400 complaints, almost twice as many as in 2021,” said the price watchdog in September. In January, the price watchdog launched a VAT calculator on its website. This is intended to prevent hidden price increases in the wake of the VAT increase from the start of 2024.
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