I Already Got Ripped Off, Now What? Where to Complain in the Netherlands

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Your landlord keeps your deposit. A webshop doesn't send your money back. The builder leaves a leaking roof, and your bank says "no". Most guides tell you how to stop this happening. This one is for when it has already happened. In the Netherlands, you usually don't have to go to court. For most problems there is a special place that can help, and it's often cheap or free. This guide tells you where to go, what it costs in 2026, and the deadlines you must not miss.

Words you need to know first

• Complaint (klacht): telling a company or landlord that something went wrong and what you want them to do about it.
• Dispute (geschil): a complaint that you couldn't solve together. A dispute is what you take to a complaint office.
• Dispute committee (geschillencommissie): a group of experts, outside the company, who listen to both sides and decide who is right. It works like a simple, cheaper court.
• Binding decision (bindend advies): a decision that both you and the company must follow. Usually you can't appeal it.
• In writing (schriftelijk): by email or letter, not by phone. Writing gives you proof of what you said and when.
• Formal notice (ingebrekestelling): a letter that gives the company one last deadline to fix the problem, often 14 days. After that deadline, you have more rights, for example to cancel the contract or ask for your money back.
• Consumer (consument): you, buying something for yourself and not for a business. Most complaint offices in this guide only help consumers.
• Juridisch Loket: the free legal help desk, paid for by the government. You can call, chat or visit. They can tell you where to go and help you write your letter.
• Legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering): insurance that pays for a lawyer or legal adviser. Check if you have one. Many people have it without remembering, for example through their home insurance package or their employer.

Find your route

Choose who your problem is with. You'll see where to go, what to do first, what it costs and the deadline. Below the route finder, every route is explained in more detail.

Step 1 for every problem: complain in writing

Whatever went wrong, start here. Complaint offices want to see that you gave the company a fair chance to fix it. A good complaint letter also often solves the problem on its own.

1. Write it down. Send an email or a letter, not just a phone call. If you call, send an email afterwards: "As we discussed on the phone today...".
2. Say what happened, with dates, and your order number, contract number or address.
3. Say what you want: a repair, a new product, your money back, a lower bill.
4. Give a deadline, for example 14 days. If they don't solve it in time, send a formal notice (ingebrekestelling) with one last deadline.
5. Keep everything: the contract, receipts, emails, chat messages, photos and screenshots. Write down who you spoke to and when.

You can write in English. Many Dutch companies answer in English. If they don't, a free translation tool is fine. ConsuWijzer has free example letters for many situations, like cancelling a contract or asking for a repair. You fill in your details and send it.

Problems with your landlord: the Huurcommissie and more

The Huurcommissie (Rent Tribunal) is a government service for tenants and landlords. It is not on anyone's side. It looks at the facts, sometimes sends an inspector to your home, and then decides. In most cases its decision is binding: your landlord must follow it, unless one of you asks the small claims judge to look at it again within 8 weeks.

Which route you take depends on the problem, and sometimes on the type of rental home you have. In the Netherlands, each rental home gets pointsThe woningwaarderingsstelsel (WWS): a list that gives a home points for its size, energy label, kitchen, bathroom and more. The points set the maximum legal rent. that set its maximum rent. A home with up to 143 points is social housing, 144 to 186 points is mid-rent, and 187 points or more is the free sector. Not sure which one you have? Our guide Is my rent too high? shows you how to check.

How the Huurcommissie works

1. Apply online on huurcommissie.nl. You can log in with DigiDYour personal login for Dutch government websites, like a digital ID card.. The website is in Dutch, so a translation tool helps.
2. Pay €25. If the Huurcommissie decides you are right, the landlord must pay this back to you. Landlords pay a lot more to start a case, so many prefer to solve the problem before it gets this far.
3. Wait for the decision. An inspector may visit your home. It often takes several months, so keep paying your rent in the meantime.

Going to the Huurcommissie is your right. Since July 2024, most new rental contracts have no end date, and using your rights is not a reason for a landlord to end your contract. Free help is available from the huurteamA free local service for tenants, paid for by many cities. They check your rent and help you write letters and apply to the Huurcommissie. in many cities and from the WoonbondThe Dutch tenants' union. It gives tenants information and advice..

Your deposit isn't returned

For contracts signed since 1 July 2023, the rules for deposits (borg) are clear:

• A deposit can be at most 2 months of basic rent, without service costs.
• The landlord must return it within 14 days after your contract ends, if there is no damage.
• If there is damage or unpaid rent, the landlord may keep that amount and must return the rest within 30 days.
• The landlord may not keep money for normal wear, like small marks on the walls after years of living there.

Not returned? Send a letter or email asking for your deposit, with a deadline. Report the landlord to your municipality's reporting point. If you still don't get your money, you can go to the small claims judge (see the last step). Take photos of every room on the day you move in and the day you move out. They are your best proof. Our guide Who fixes what in your rental home explains which repairs are the landlord's job and which are yours.

Problems with a company: De Geschillencommissie

De Geschillencommissie is a foundation in The Hague. It has dispute committees for about 85 sectors, from energy and phone providers to travel agencies, builders, garages, removal companies, childcare and webshops. More than 250,000 companies are members.

The big condition: it only works if the company is a member. Check this first:

• Look in the company's terms and conditions (algemene voorwaarden), or on your quote or invoice. Members usually mention it.
• Look for the logo of a trade association, like the ANVR for travel or BOVAG for garages.
• Or search for the company on degeschillencommissie.nl.

Dutch energy suppliers are members, and so are most phone and internet providers.

How it works

1. Complain to the company first, in writing, and give them a fair chance to solve it.
2. Not solved? Start a case online on degeschillencommissie.nl. Do this within 12 months after you complained to the company.
3. Pay the complaint fee (klachtengeld). It is different for every sector, usually about €25 to €150. For example, for a complaint about your energy supplier it is €52.50 in 2026. If you win, the company pays it back to you. If you lose, you don't get it back.
4. Both sides explain their story. Sometimes an expert comes to look, for example at bad building work. Sometimes the committee first tries to help you agree.
5. The committee decides. This takes about 25 weeks on average. The decision is binding for you and the company, and you can't appeal.

What if the company doesn't pay, or goes bankrupt? In many sectors, the trade association promises to pay instead. This is called a compliance guaranteeNakomingsgarantie: a promise by the trade association that you get what the committee decided, even if the company doesn't pay.. Before you start, ask the Geschillencommissie if your sector has one.

Is the company not a member? Then De Geschillencommissie can't help. Your options are a formal notice, help from the Juridisch Loket, and then the small claims judge. If you hired someone to do work in your home, our guide Hiring a handyman explains your rights to cancel and what a quote must say.

Problems with a shop or webshop: your rights and ConsuWijzer

Most shops are not members of a dispute committee. But you have strong rights by law, and knowing them often solves the problem. ConsuWijzer is the government's free information service for consumers. It explains your rights, has example letters, and you can report a bad company there. It can't solve your problem for you, but your reports help the government decide which companies to take action against.

• 14 days to change your mind (herroepingsrecht): if you buy something online or by phone, you can return it within 14 days, without a reason. The shop must refund your money, including the normal shipping costs, within 14 days after you tell them. Some things are exceptions, like custom-made items, food, and opened software.
• It must work for a normal time (conformiteit): a product must work as long as you can normally expect. This is often longer than the warranty from the brand. A washing machine should last more than two years, for example. This legal guarantee is free, and you don't have to buy an extra warranty.
• The shop is responsible, not the brand. A shop may not send you to the manufacturer.
• In the first year, if the product breaks, the shop must prove it wasn't already faulty. After the first year, you may need to show that it was.
• Tell the shop quickly: within 2 months after you notice the problem is always in time.

Webshops with the Thuiswinkel Waarborg logo are members of a dispute committee, so you can go there if the webshop doesn't help you.

Can you get your money back through your bank?

• Credit card: you can ask your card company to reverse the payment (a chargebackTerugboeking in Dutch: asking your credit card company to take back a payment, for example when you paid but never got your order.), for example when the order never arrived. Do it quickly, usually within a few months.
• Direct debit (automatische incasso): you can reverse it yourself in your banking app, within 8 weeks, without giving a reason.
• iDEAL or a bank transfer: these usually can't be reversed. This is why scammers like them.

Problems with a bank, insurer or lender: Kifid

Kifid is the complaints office for financial companies: banks, insurers (but not health insurers), lenders, mortgage advisers, investment companies and payment services. You can go there if, for example, your insurer won't pay a claim, your bank blocked your account, or your mortgage adviser gave you bad advice. It's free for consumers.

1. Complain to the company first. Use their complaints procedure and wait for their final answer (definitief standpunt). In it, the company must tell you that you can go to Kifid. No answer after 8 weeks? Then you can go to Kifid without it.
2. Send your complaint to Kifid online, through Mijn Kifid on kifid.nl. You can also send it by post, but that is slower.
3. Watch the deadline: within 3 months after the company's final answer, or within 1 year after your first complaint to the company. The later of the two counts.
4. Choose binding or not binding. With a binding decision, you and the company must both follow it. With a non-binding decision, nobody has to, and you can still go to court later. A binding decision is only possible if the company accepts it. Kifid's list of companies shows which ones do.
5. Kifid first tries to help you agree. If that doesn't work, its committee decides, usually within 90 days after a hearing.

Kifid can't help with your health insurance (see the next route), with pension funds (they go to the Ombudsman Pensioenen), or with most business complaints. Kifid's phone number is 070 333 8 999.

Problems with healthcare: the SKGZ and complaints officers

• Your health insurer won't pay a bill, or you disagree with a decision? Complain to the insurer in writing first. If they don't answer within 4 weeks, or you can't agree, go to the SKGZStichting Klachten en Geschillen Zorgverzekeringen: the independent complaints office for Dutch health insurance.. Its ombudsman is free and tries to help you agree. If that doesn't work, its dispute committee decides, for a small fee.
• Your doctor, hospital, dentist or physiotherapist? By law, every care provider must have a complaints officer (klachtenfunctionaris) who helps you for free. Ask the practice or look on their website. If that doesn't solve it, you can go to the dispute committee the provider is a member of. They must tell you which one.

Our guides to health insurance and GPs in the Netherlands explain how the Dutch system works, so you can check what you should have got.

Problems with a company in another EU country: ECC Netherlands

Did you buy from a webshop in Germany, book a hotel in Spain, or rent a car in Italy? The European Consumer Centre (ECC) Netherlands helps with problems with companies in other EU countries, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. It's free, and you can write in English.

1. Complain to the company first, in writing.
2. No solution? Send your complaint to ECC Netherlands on eccnederland.nl.
3. ECC contacts the ECC in the company's country, which talks to the company in its own language.

ECC can't force the company to do anything, but a message from an official office often helps.

You were scammed: act fast

A scam is when someone tricks you into paying for something that doesn't exist, or into giving your bank details. Common examples in the Netherlands: a fake rental home that asks for a deposit before a viewing, a fake parcel or fine message, a "friend" on WhatsApp who suddenly needs money, or a fake call from "your bank".

1. Call your bank right away. The number is on the back of your bank card and in your banking app. Sometimes the bank can still stop the payment. Block your card if the scammer has your details.
2. Report it to the police (aangifte doen). For online fraud, you can do this online on politie.nl. You need the report for your bank or insurer.
3. Report it to the Fraudehelpdesk on fraudehelpdesk.nl. They give advice and warn others.
4. Did the bank refuse to pay you back? You can ask why, in writing, and then complain to Kifid.

Our guide Fines nobody warns you about shows how to spot a fake fine message.

A debt collector: check before you pay

A debt collector (incassobureau) is a company that collects money for another company. Getting their letter is scary, but the law protects you:

• First a free reminder: before any costs can be added, you must get a letter that gives you 14 days to pay without extra costs (veertiendagenbrief).
• The costs have a maximum: for a debt of up to €2,500, the costs can be at most 15% of the debt, with a minimum of €40. For larger debts, the percentage gets lower.
• Debt collectors must be registered with the government office Justis. You can check this in the register on justis.nl. Since 1 October 2026, you don't have to pay collection costs or interest to a collector who isn't registered. You still have to pay the debt itself.

Don't agree with the bill? Write back to the debt collector, explain why, and add your proof. Can't pay it all? Ask for a payment plan (betalingsregeling). Never ignore the letters: the costs can then grow, and the case can go to court. Not sure if the letter is real? Look up the company yourself, and don't use the phone number or link in the letter.

Problems with the government: objection and the National Ombudsman

Did the tax office, your municipality or another government office make a decision you don't agree with? For example a fine, a tax bill, or a decision about your allowances.

• Send an objection (bezwaar) to the office that made the decision. You usually have 6 weeks from the date on the letter. The letter tells you how. Many offices have an online form.
• About how you were treated, for example rude staff or no answer for months: complain to the office first, then to the National OmbudsmanDe Nationale ombudsman: an independent office that looks at complaints about how the government treats people. It's free.. Some cities, like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, have their own ombudsman for complaints about the municipality.

Our guide Fines nobody warns you about explains how to object to different types of fines.

Problems with your employer

Problems at work aren't consumer problems, so the offices above can't help. Unpaid salary, a contract that isn't followed, or a sudden dismissal: start by putting your problem in writing to your manager or HR. Then get advice from a union (vakbond) if you are a member, your legal expenses insurance, or the Juridisch Loket. If you are paid less than the minimum wage, you can report it to the Labour Inspectorate (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie). If you can't agree, the small claims judge handles all work disputes, whatever the amount. Our guide to your Dutch employment contract explains your rights.

The last step: the small claims judge

If nothing else works, you can go to the kantonrechter, the judge for smaller cases. It's less scary than it sounds:

• It handles claims of up to €25,000, and all cases about rent and work, whatever the amount.
• You don't need a lawyer. You may bring your own case.
• You pay a court fee (griffierecht). For a private person in 2026, it is €93 for a claim up to €500 and €233 for a claim up to €1,500. It's higher for bigger claims, but people with a low income pay €93, whatever the amount.
• If you win, the other side usually has to pay part of your costs.

Starting a court case has formal steps, so get free advice from the Juridisch Loket first. You can call them for free on 0800 8020. Check your legal expenses insurance too: it may pay for a lawyer to do it for you.

Your checklist when something went wrong

1. Collect your proof: contract, receipts, emails, photos and screenshots.
2. Complain to the company or landlord in writing. Say what you want and give a deadline.
3. Write down the date of your complaint. Many deadlines start on that day.
4. Use the route finder above to find the right office.
5. Check that the company is a member of that office, if needed.
6. Keep paying the part of a bill you agree with, and your rent.
7. Check if you have legal expenses insurance.
8. Not sure? Call the Juridisch Loket for free.

Official sources and useful links

• Huurcommissie: rent, repairs and service costs (Dutch)
• Volkshuisvesting Nederland: rules for your deposit (Dutch)
• De Geschillencommissie: check if a company is a member (Dutch)
• Kifid: complaints about banks, insurers and lenders (Dutch)
• ConsuWijzer: your rights and free example letters (Dutch)
• SKGZ: complaints about health insurers (Dutch)
• ECC Netherlands: problems with companies in other EU countries
• Fraudehelpdesk: report a scam (Dutch)
• National Ombudsman: complaints about the government
• Juridisch Loket: free legal advice

This is general information based on the rules in October 2026. Fees and deadlines can change, and every dispute committee has its own rules. Always check the deadline in your contract or letter, and on the website of the office you go to.