The Get Information About a Merchant tool compiles the number of formal notice forms a merchant receives from consumers.

When a consumer contacts the Office de la protection du consommateur to report a problem, the employee who answers evaluates the situation. If the consumer has recourse options pursuant to the laws under the responsibility of the Office, the employee sends the consumer an information kit, which is a tool to help solve the problem. This kit contains a formal notice form.

In order for a formal notice to be listed in the Get Information About a Merchant tool, the consumer must have sent a copy to the Office.

The information about a formal notice is withdrawn 2 years after it is posted online.

Criteria to publish formal notices

Each formal notice form received by the Office is analyzed by an employee. This employee bases the analysis on 11 criteria. A formal notice must meet all of these criteria in order for the information to be published.

1. The signatory of the formal notice states that he or she has sent an identical version to the merchant concerned.
2. The signatory used the form provided by the Office to draft the formal notice.
3. The formal notice form sent to the Office is signed.
4. The same person signed both the complaint received by the Office and the formal notice form.
5. A legible and complete version of the formal notice form was sent to the Office no later than 12 months after the date that appears on the form.
6. The subject of the formal notice form received is related to a complaint received by the Office at a prior date.
7. The information provided in the formal notice form and in the complaint submitted to the Office are sufficient to correctly establish the identity of the merchant concerned.
8. The information received is clear enough for the nature of the litigation to be understood.
9. The litigation presented in the formal notice form is governed by the laws under the responsibility of the Office.
10. The litigation presented in the formal notice form is neither frivolous nor malicious.
11. The formal notice form demonstrates the existence of civil litigation between the signatory and at least one merchant.

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