Dear politicians…

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Whether it’s a car, a heat pump or an elevator, many branded devices sold in Switzerland are also available in foreign countries. In general, it cannot be said that it is cheaper abroad. However, it makes sense to look where you can get the cheapest price. In doing so, you are doing exactly what is expected of an “economic entity” in a market economy.

What, according to the textbook, would be exactly correct, in practice, unfortunately, is often a problem. You notice it at the latest when something breaks and you think you can take advantage of the warranty. Although a product bought abroad is also sold in Switzerland and the manufacturer’s customer service is on site, the invoice was issued – often unknowingly – without the landlord: when buying abroad, guarantees are often questioned or excluded.

Since I believe that this approach discourages trade, I recently briefed the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) about this. According to Seco’s clarification, the conditions of the “technical trade barrier” are not met. It also states that guarantees are nationally regulated obligations of companies. In simple terms, this means that there is a regulatory loophole that needs to be closed urgently.

That’s why I say to politicians: please take over!

What will not work without it is clearly seen in the example of cars: about 20 years ago, Weko issued the so-called notice about cars. Their goal was to limit the influence of manufacturers and importers on dealers to a reasonable level in order to protect customers from practices that distort competition and isolate areas.

It was of little use – the resistance of manufacturers and official importers was too strong. Therefore, in the future there should be mandatory regulation in the form of legislative regulation. In case of doubt, a well-defined framework eliminates the need for costly visits to the qadi and minimizes other risks. This may well have a pro-competitive effect, which would be highly desirable not only from the point of view of customers, but also from the point of view of many domestic companies. I really hope the implementation is now taken care of quickly and completely – or what are we waiting for?

Source: Blick