Wegweiser Consumers · Your rights when buying and contracting Deutsch

🤝 Advice and contact points

Verbraucherzentralen in all 16 Länder offer advice. Partly free, partly for a fee. In addition: Bundesnetzagentur and arbitration.

Verbraucherzentrale Advice Costs Bundesnetzagentur Arbitration body Legal advice Discount for Grundsicherungsgeld recipients Contact points

In brief

The Verbraucherzentralen advise on purchases, contracts, energy, debt and more. They exist in all 16 Länder.

  • Advice in person, by phone or by video.
  • Costs differ by Land and topic.
  • Recipients of basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld), BAföG or basic security benefits get a reduction depending on the Verbraucherzentrale (not uniform nationwide, please ask).

Bring contracts, invoices and correspondence.

Step by step

  1. Find the responsible centreChoose your Land via verbraucherzentrale.de/beratung.
  2. Clarify topic and priceRead the regional centre's price list.
  3. Have documents readyContract, invoices, e-mails, deadlines.
  4. Use other bodiesBundesnetzagentur (cold calling), arbitration bodies.

Deadlines

16 Verbraucherzentralen
One per Landverbraucherzentrale.de
Prices differ by regional centre
Advice by appointmentnot uniform nationwide, please ask
Reduction possible
For recipients of Grundsicherungsgeld, BAföG, basic security benefits on proof; differs by regional centre, not uniform nationwide, please askVerbraucherzentralen
Watch out – common mistakes
  • Prices and services differ by Land. Ask about prices beforehand.
  • This website does not provide legal advice. For legal representation, see a lawyer.
  • Keep an eye on deadlines. Seeking advice only shortly before a deadline expires is risky.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Verbraucherzentralen

The Verbraucherzentralen of the 16 Länder offer advice and information, help with legal problems and represent consumer interests at Land level. Advice services are offered by the Länder and are partly chargeable. Forms: on site, telephone call-back, video. Central overview: www.verbraucherzentrale.de/beratung. Prices differ by regional centre, not uniform nationwide, please ask.

Other documented bodies

  • Bundesnetzagentur: complaints and fines for unlawful cold calling (bundesnetzagentur.de).
  • Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes: www.universalschlichtungsstelle.de.
  • Bundesamt für Justiz: list of consumer arbitration bodies under § 33 Abs. 1 VSBG.
  • Schufa: free data copy via meineschufa.de.

Addresses and telephone numbers of individual advice centres are deliberately not listed here, as they change by location.

Who is responsible
  • Verbraucherzentrale of the Land
  • Bundesnetzagentur
  • Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes
Further reading
Consumer arbitration and court optionsOverview of consumer rights

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Advice and contact points“?
Verbraucherzentralen in all 16 Länder offer advice. Partly free, partly for a fee. In addition: Bundesnetzagentur and arbitration.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • 16 Verbraucherzentralen: One per Land (verbraucherzentrale.de)
  • Prices differ by regional centre: Advice by appointment (not uniform nationwide, please ask)
  • Reduction possible: For recipients of Grundsicherungsgeld, BAföG, basic security benefits on proof; differs by regional centre, not uniform nationwide, please ask (Verbraucherzentralen)
What should I do first?
  • Find the responsible centre: Choose your Land via verbraucherzentrale.de/beratung.
  • Clarify topic and price: Read the regional centre's price list.
  • Have documents ready: Contract, invoices, e-mails, deadlines.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • Prices and services differ by Land. Ask about prices beforehand.
  • This website does not provide legal advice. For legal representation, see a lawyer.
  • Keep an eye on deadlines. Seeking advice only shortly before a deadline expires is risky.
Evidence
  • Verbraucherzentrale, Beratung bei den Verbraucherzentralen (verbraucherzentrale.de/beratung), retrieved 20 September 2026
  • Bundesnetzagentur, Telefonwerbung, retrieved 20 September 2026
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.