DECO, PORTUGAL’S consumer rights association, has recently issued a statement advising tourists in the country, who become involved in consumer related conflicts this summer, to demand to have the establishment’s Livro de Reclamações, or complaints book.
August is the country’s busiest month for tourists and when most Portuguese themselves go on holiday. In light of this, Deco is now seeking to remind consumers that, when necessary, they must ask to use the complaints book.
Under Portuguese Law, the book must always be made available to the client and, if this does not happen, Deco advises the client to call the police to report the establishment concerned. The book is an official document and is obligatory for the registration of any complaints regarding the state of the establishment, equipment, or the quality of the service.
Deco reminds tourists that all hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, camping sites and tourist entertainment centres, such as water parks and holiday camps, are obliged by law to hold a complaints book.
Any complaint is made in triplicate, so that one copy can remain with the consumer. By law, the second copy must be sent by the management of the establishment to the authorities responsible for inspections (the Direcção Geral do Turismo or câmara) and the third copy stays in the book as a permanent record.
