Mission and vision

The Association for Legal Aid in Consumer Rights, Plovdiv is a non-governmental non-profit organisation established in the end of 2006 in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Its establishment was a due response to the growing community needs of a formal organisation which can correspond to the higher interest of a wide range of consumers in protection of their individual rights and collective interests and to provide also a better representation of their active position on the market.

The Association for Legal Aid in Consumer Rights is registered in the Central Register of NGOs working in social favour, held by the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria under No. 16/2006 and is legally registered by the Regional Court of Plovdiv.

According to the law "Consumer" is an individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale and also every individual who being a legal side in a consumer contract, buys products or services, acting without the intent to use them in his trade practice and/or professional activity.

Bulgarian legislation defines the range of consumer rights protected by the law. The Association for Legal Aid in Consumer Rights works actively on the protection of the following rights:
- Right of information regarding the goods and services;
- Right of protection against the risks related to buying goods and services that may put the life, health and property of the consumer in danger;
- Right for protection of the economic interest of the consumer when buying goods and services under unfair contract terms and unfair trade practices and also providing a guarantee for these goods and services;
- Right to receive compensation for the damages due to defect of the goods;
- Right to access any kind of protection of the rights in front of a court or arbitrary and right to receive advice during proceedings on consumer claims;
- Right to receive education and training on matters, regarding protection of consumer rights;
- Right of representation in front of all state institutions and organisations, empowered to take decisions regarding consumer rights;

The Association for Legal Aid in Consumer Rights protects the abovementioned rights of the consumers by provision of legal representation in court over the following claims (following the Act for Consumer Protection):
- Claim for suspension or prohibition of activities and trade practices that infringe collective consumer rights and interests;
- Claim for compensation of the damages caused to collective consumer rights;
- Claim for compensation of the damages caused to two or more individual consumers.