We compiled checklists for 12 areas of life. They are intended to help you in everyday consumer life. Some of the checklists are translated in foreign languages.
Foto:
jannoon028 / stock.adobe.com
With our checklists you can go through important points step by step.
On
All information is available in German and other languages. Just choose the relevant download.
1. Insurance
In Germany there are a lot of various insurances to protect you in the case of damages against expensive payments. Some insurances are absolutely necessary, others not. In the checklist you find the insurances you have to take out.
To use your mobile phone you can choose between several corporates and rates. This checklist helps you to make a decision. You shall not conclude a contract right in the store. Read the whole contract, especially the small print, carefully at home.
Bevor signing a lease, you should inquire about all costs. Besides the rent itself, there are so-called utilities and operating costs, e.g. for heating and hot water.
This checklist helps you to tell, if an online shop is trustworthy or not. Besides that you learn, whereon you should pay attention, when browsing with the smartphone.
You are not allowed to watch, listen or play everything that is offered for free on the internet. It can be that you contravene against the so-called „Urheberrecht“ (copyright law). This can be very expensive for you.
Saving energy at home – cheap, good and healthy living. On twelve pages, in addition to the checklists you can find here, we also give tips in a more detailed brochure – downloadable in 5 languages (German, English, Arabic, Kurdish and Dari).
6. Food packaging
Foods that are already packed in the supermarket, have an ingredient list. The list shows what is in the food. What exactly has to be on the list is shown in our checklist.
Debt collection agencies are companies that collect other people’s claims. They want money for a bill that wasn´t paid. If you are uncertain how much you have to pay or if you have to pay in general, take legal advice from the consumer association.
Usually a short, inattentive moment is enough: The front door falls into the lock, the key is still in the flat. This situation is often exploited by dubious key services – they open the door, but demand too much money for that.
Dietary supplements such as vitamin tablets, products for performance enhancement, beauty pills or anti-aging agents are advertised with false promises. Regulations apply to such products. Read here what you should pay attention to and what rights you have.
An appetite for pills?
Benefits and risks of dietary or food supplements.
Prämiensparverträge: Vergleich mit Stadtsparkasse München ist wirksam
Der Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) und die Stadtsparkasse München einigten sich im Verfahren um Prämiensparverträge auf einen Vergleich. Betroffene können so unkompliziert Nachzahlungen erhalten. Das Bayerische Oberste Landesgericht informierte Verbraucher:innen, die sich der Musterfeststellungsklage angeschlossen haben, schriftlich über den Vergleich. Die Sparkasse beginnt mit Bearbeitung der Auszahlungen.
Stadtsparkasse München kann mit Zahlungen an Prämiensparer:innen beginnen
Nach dem Vergleich zwischen dem Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) und der Stadtsparkasse München können die Zinsnachzahlungen an die Sparer:innen in Kürze starten. Das Gericht hat den Vergleich für wirksam erklärt. Die Vergleichszahlungen erhalten Betroffene, die sich der Musterfeststellungsklage der Verbraucherzentrale angeschlossen hatten.
Die Sparkasse Nürnberg hat vielen Prämiensparern nach Ansicht der Verbraucherzentrale jahrelang zu wenig Zinsen gezahlt. Außerdem hat sie über 20.000 Verträge gekündigt. Der Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) hat mit Unterstützung der Verbraucherzentrale Bayern deswegen Musterklage gegen die Sparkasse Nürnberg erhoben. Am 23. September 2025 entscheidet der Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) über das Urteil des Bayerischen Obersten Landesgerichts.
