Know your rights in Germany

Accessing medical services and your rights as a consumer are among the topics covered by a new guide for England fans travelling to the World Cup in Germany.

The Euroconsumer World Cup guide aims to familiarise England fans with the way in which consumer law and public services work in Germany.

It provides information on consumer rights when shopping in Germany, such as that sellers have to provide a two-year minimum guarantee on products.

It also details how to get the cheapest tickets on public transport, provides facts on legal rights when booking or cancelling a hotel reservation, and how to access medical services and other urgent help.

The guide has been produced by the UK European Consumer Centre (ECC), which is run by Citizens Advice.

Ruth Bamford, director of the UK ECC, said: "Last year, Citizens Advice Euroconsumer helped almost 2,000 people with consumer and legal problems they encountered while on holiday in Europe.

"So many of these people could have been helped to avoid problems, if only they had known more beforehand about how things work in the country they were visiting. That’s why we have put together this guide.

"The main aim is to ensure that people going to the World Cup are well informed about how to avoid any consumer or legal problems. We want England fans to have nothing more to worry about, while in Germany, than the fitness of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney."

The Euroconsumer World Cup guide can be downloaded free at: www.euroconsumer.org.uk XXX