Inquiries about automobile savings plans increased by 75%

The Directorate of Consumer Protection, an organization belonging to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, noted a significant increase in queries related to the value of the monthly installments of automobile savings plans, as well as their disproportionate increase. In 2023, 177 queries were received about this problem, while in 2024, 344 were already registered, that is, there was an increase of 75%.

Given the increase in the price of fees, consumers turned to the organization in search of guidance on how to carry out their demands or complaints. “The judicial route is the most appropriate to address this problem, since everything related to the value of the monthly installments of savings plans is the exclusive responsibility of the Judiciary. These are circumstances inherent to the price of goods and services. Therefore, it cannot be set by any authority, since it is done by the market itself,” said the head of Consumer Defense, Mónica Avellaneda.

The Consumer Defense Directorate is the authority responsible for applying the regulations for the protection of consumer rights and acts in conflicts between consumers of savings plans and the companies involved in this type of contracting.

The official highlighted in turn that “the levels of conflict over this problem have been increasing since the first half of 2018, and since the end of last year, the value of the fees compromises the subsistence of consumers. In the vast majority of cases it far exceeds half of their salaries and in many cases their monthly income is compromised.”

“This panorama highlights the need for effective regulation and adequate supervision to protect the rights and interests of consumers in the specific context of automobile savings plans,” Avellaneda concluded.