Israel Consumer Council

The people of Israel sang in unison on Friday night, tunefully or otherwise, We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and the Lord freed us from Egypt with a ighty hand." Some find the words sung over thousands of years moving. Some just go through the motions, finding the celebration of our emancipation rather embarrassing after all that time.

70% of respondents to a survey, conducted for the Consumer Council, were unable to determine in which of two banks it would be better to maintain a checking account.The theory of intelligent consumerism advocates obtaining information, comparing alternatives, bargaining over price, and making intelligent choices.

Year 2012 began with the failure of two airlines: Spanair, and  Malev. As a result of their collapse, tens of thousands of passengers were left without ights and many of them were also left without their money.  the Council has assembled some guidelines to help minimize the losses to the traveling public, should an airline cease operations.

Cell phone companies offer "charge-credit payment plans", which tie the consumer into long term contracts with them. The Consumer Council proposes an amendment to the law, to ensure that prices quoted for cellular phones and similar items are final, and not dependent on the level of use of the company’s services.

Many within the business world, would prefer to see the influence of last summer’s protests dissipate. This is perhaps the best proof of their success and vitality. It offers a lesson to all those who have belittled them and doubted their power - that without consumers there can be no producers.

The Knesset approved a proposed amendment to the Consumer Protection Law. Under the proposal, stores with a floor area greater than 100 square, would be allowed to display product prices by means of electronic display units on their shelves, rather than by means of price tags or labels on the products themselves