Services Standards: Defining the Core Consumer Elements ... - ANEC

Hans-W. Micklitz
d) Impact on standardisation of services
These (draft) European standards and other documents will from the basis of
analysing the degree to which standardisation of services takes core consumer
elements into consideration.
4. International Standards Bodies (ISO/IEC)
IEC/ISO have drafted a set of policy standards which do not deal with particular
services, but which focus on specific consumer concerns. COPOLCO is a
political committee of ISO (not a standards committee) and suggests standards
projects to ISO (such as the ISO 10001, 10002 and 10003 see below) and also
produces standards development guides, policy statements and informational
publications on issues of importance to consumers. ANEC is an observer in
ISO/COPOLCO, whereas Consumers International has liaison status.
• Draft ISO DIS 10001 ‘Quality management – customer satisfaction –
guidelines for codes of conduct for organisations’. This document is
meant to service as a tool kit for developing codes of conduct, however,
not in the field of services alone. The approach is very broad and
comprehensive. The draft could be seen as a wish list of what
consumers would like to see in a technical standard. That is why the draft
helps to define what might be understood by best practice.
• ISO 10002 ‘Quality Management – Customer satisfaction – Guidelines
for complaints handling in organisations’. This document fits very well
into Article 27 of the Service Directive which does not deal with dispute
settlement but with complaints handling alone 284 .
• Draft ISO DIS 10003 ‘Quality management – customer satisfaction –
guidelines for dispute resolution external to organisations’. This
document is envisaged as a tool kit for developing appropriate out of
court settlement procedures. The draft does not reflect the two EC
Recommendations 98/257/EC and 2001/310/EC 285 .
• ISO/IEC Draft Guide 76 ‘Development of service standards –
recommendations for addressing consumer issues’. This document is not
an ISO standard. It could be understood as a wish list meant to serve as
a yardstick in the elaboration of standards. The broad approach chosen
is helpful in that it covers environmental protection, personal training and
284 See already under Chapter III, I, 2, g).
285 See already under Chapter III, I, 2, g). Legally speaking there are no barriers why an
international standard should not refer or mention to an EC recommendation.
88