The Consumer’s Right to Reduce the Total Cost of Consumer Credit – an Outline of the Problem Cover Image

Prawo konsumenta do obniżenia całkowitego kosztu kredytu konsumenckiego – zarys problemu
The Consumer’s Right to Reduce the Total Cost of Consumer Credit – an Outline of the Problem

Author(s): Wiktor Gnych-Pietrzak
Subject(s): Business Economy / Management, Law on Economics, Financial Markets
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: consumer loan; contracts; legal interpretation; consumer protection

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the article is to present the issues related to qualifying the costs of a consumer credit, such as commission and fees, to costs associated with the loan period, and thus subject to reduction in the event of early loan repayment. Based on the research, a thesis was formulated that for the correct transposition and implementation of EU law, it is required to ensure the possibility of reducing all costs of a consumer loan, therefore the above costs should be considered related to the loan period and should be proportionally reduced. Methodology: For the purposes of the research, the legal-dogmatic and analytical methods were used. The jurisprudence of Polish courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union was analyzed. The adopted time horizon of the study covered the period from 12/05/2010 to 31/12/2020. The judgments published in the resources of Lex and Legalis Legal Information Systems and the Portal of Judgments of Common Courts as at 31/12/2020 were taken into account. Results of the research: It was found that the judicature largely adopted a broad approach to the problem presented, even before the judgment of the CJEU in case C-383/18, which confirms the thesis adopted for the purposes of the article. Consequently, consumers who have concluded a consumer credit agreement are entitled to a proportional reduction to all costs they had to incur in connection with the concluded agreement. In particular, these are incidental, one-off costs such as commission and preparation fee, which are subjected to reduction.

  • Issue Year: 3/2021
  • Issue No: 31
  • Page Range: 41-56
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Polish