FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a private individual and a company?

Company: any trader, company or association pursuing commercial activities on a regular basis.
Private individual: any natural person acting for purposes that do not fall within the scope of their professional activity.

Who has taken the initiative for Report?

Report is a joint venture of:

the Federal Public Service Economy, S.M.E.s, Self-employed and Energy (FPS Economy);
the Federal Public Service Finances (FPS Finances);
the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (FPS Health);
the Social Information and Investigation Service;
the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products;
the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain;
the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA); and
the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT).

The FPS Economy manages the infrastructure of the Report electronic platform.

What is the purpose of Report?

Report aims to offer consumers and businesses a user-friendly, simple and effective digital environment in which they can:

report misleading (B2C) or unfair (B2B) business practices;
obtain information and advice on how to defend their interests.

Report improves cooperation between the various federal authorities responsible for enforcing regulations on misleading and unfair business practices.

If you agree, your complaint can also be transferred to a mediation service to try to find an amicable solution with the company concerned:

the Consumer Mediation Service; of
the European Consumer Centre Belgium (ECC Belgium).

Report is used to collect information to improve the quality of the checks by the various inspection services.

Report is not an online service for emergency calls and it is not manned 24/7. Report is not a channel for lodging a complaint or making an official report of a specific crime.

If you have been the victim of a crime and wish to file a complaint, contact the local police of your choice.

How are my personal data processed?

The partners of Report are committed to preserving and respecting your privacy. As this platform collects and processes personal data, it is subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (“GDPR”).

You will find more information about the GDPR in the General terms of use and privacy policy of Report.