First Group Complaint Tried In Finland

Merilampi Attorneys Ltd represented Peab Ltd in the first group complaint tried before the Finnish Consumer Disputes Board. Peab Ltd is one of the leading construction and civil engineering companies in the Nordic Countries, providing employment for around 15.000 employees. The group complaint brought against Peab Ltd concerned the estimates of maintenance costs Pead Ltd provided in connection with sales of new housing. Merilampi Attorneys Ltd successfully defended Peab Ltd, and, on April 17, 2012, the Consumer Disputes Board unanimously dismissed all complaints brought by the Finnish Consumer Ombudsman.

Group complaints were introduced in Finland in 2007. Class actions, which are initiated in court, were also introduced that year. However, no class actions have been filed yet. The group complaint and the class action are both intended for use in cases where several consumers are in a dispute with the same company regarding the same or similar matter. Instead of