FACUA logo 'consumers in action'. Wikicommons/public domain.As both the number of consumers and the costs involved continue to be totted up, the scale and significance of the Volkswagen emissions scandal is still sinking in. As a failure of corporate regulation, a US Congress committee recently judged it to be on the scale of Enron. The fallout from 'diesel-gate' doesn’t, however, stop at Volkswagen or even the car-making industry. A worrying piece on The Conversation suggests that the culture of cheating regulatory testing, or ‘metrics gaming’, is widespread in the industry and across other sectors, including health, food and sport.
For just over a month now I’ve been working at FACUA, a national federation of consumer organisations across Spain. As the largest consumer organisation in the country,FACUA has been the principle voice of those affected by the Volkswagen scandal. The national forum (or ‘platform’) set up by the organisation to mobilise and represent Spanish consumers affected by the fraud now counts more than 30,000 members.
FACUA carries out many of the functions associated with a consumer organisation like Which? in the UK: research, market studies and consumer information. However, its style and approach is markedly more confrontational, with a much stronger focus on campaigning and bringing forward legal action. This reflects the participatory nature of the organisation, focused on representing its members (or socios - a word suggesting more partners). Its spokesman, Rubén Sánchez, is a familiar presence across all television, radio and social media platforms denouncing various forms of fraud, announcing the association’s own action on behalf of its members and urging the government and regional authorities to intervene.
