The confused age when the complaint and the consultation of the consumer reach two million is coming.
33 percent of last year's consumer consultation number was the complaints concerning the fictitious billings (fraudulent claims).
The damage total of "Transfer compulsion swindle", or old name "Ore ore" ("It's me") frauds, from January to October, 2004 reached 22.2 billion yen according to the National Police Agency.
Rot and malice gnaw at the consumer life.
Consumers not only suffer from the reduction in the amount of the pension payment and an increase in various insurances of the society and the medical treatment but also have faced the tax increase discussion of the consumption tax by government and the ruling parties.
The complaint number increases abnormally under such a situation.
The consumer's issue rushed into chaos that was not able to find even the prospect of the solution any longer.
A strong resolution is requested from parties concerned of the consumer's issue.
Really, will you visit in the bright future?
JC-Press asked 26 administrative officials active in the front of the consumer's issue for the contribution at the new year of 2005 to the special edition. And it also interviewed 30 leaders of a consumer and an environmental group the ambition to "Complaint new age".
Two million consultation numbers are not exaggerated.
The consultation number in 2003 fiscal year is 1.47 million. The number of cases in 2004 fiscal year is sure to exceed the previous year's number of cases.
The Consumer Life Centers with which the telephone are not connected are coming out one after another because the consultation increased too much.
A staff at a Consumer Center sighs , saying that "The consultation not accepted must be abundant".
Most of the increasing content of the complaint is an inquiry concerning the fictitious billings.
In the fictitious billings , young people are preying on senior citizens. As for a malignant business method, many of solitary senior citizens are sacrificed about the crime.
The mind cold situation is not only those.
2004 year was one year when a malignant act of the enterprise that represented Japan such as "Mitsubishi group (car, track, and real estate)" and "Mitsui" was exposed one after another.
There are a lot of matters of concern to the future because the social security system is greatly backward.
Consumers' tiredness feelings have reached the limit.
The way things are going, "Consumer right" described clearly by "Fundamental law of the consumer" is sure to end in the pie in the sky.
How do consumer groups answer the consumer's expectation in such a situation?