site.btaConsumer Protection Commission Has Received Occasional Reports Related to Euro Introduction

“At the moment, our phone lines are quiet. We have received very few isolated reports, mainly concerning refusal to accept payment in euros or refusal to accept payment in leva,” said Alexander Kolyachev, Acting Chair of the Consumer Protection Commission on Bulgarian National Television (BNT). Overall, the situation is calm, he summarized, commenting on the first days after the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria.

Kolyachev said that there will be a one-month period of dual currency circulation, with both euros and leva in use.

“In addition to all planned routine inspections, this month we intend to be even more active on the ground. Together with the National Revenue Agency, we have drawn up a strict action plan, which we will follow both until the end of the month and throughout the entire period until August 8 this year,” he added.

He said that, under the law, traders are not allowed to return change in both euros and leva at the same time. So far, there is no data indicating such violations, Kolyachev added. He said that in such a case, the first thing a consumer can do is refuse the transaction, and second, file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Commission so it can be investigated.

Alexander Kolyachev explained that a customer may pay in either leva or euros if there is insufficient cash available in one of the two currencies. In addition, there is a limit on the number of coins that can be used in a payment, up to 50.

Since August 8 last year, prices of basic food products have not increased, or if there have been increases, they have been very slight and justified, related to seasonal factors or international quotations and markets. At this stage, we believe that traders are behaving very appropriately given the situation, said the chair of the Consumer Protection Commission.

“With any deviation, we are there, we will check, and we will sanction,” Kolyachev said. He explained that this is primarily a warning to traders in smaller towns, because in larger cities, where competition is high, prices either remain stable or, in some cases, even decrease for certain products.

“We conducted an inspection of hair salons to see what services and prices they offer, and now we are carrying out a follow-up inspection,” added the acting chair of the Consumer Protection Commission. He noted that data from the first inspection about a month to a month and a half ago showed that one out of ten hair salons had raised their prices, and they were immediately required to provide an explanation.