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The payday lending industry has been characterized as predatory, which has led to tougher government interventions. However, research on how stricter consumer protection regulations affect actual vulnerable consumers' lived experiences remains seriously underdeveloped. Following in‐depth interviews with financially excluded and therefore vulnerable payday loan consumers, this study finds that increased payday loan industry regulations are perceived by consumers as either empowering, disempowering, or simultaneously (dis)empowering. Accordingly, practical implications are developed to help public policy makers navigate vulnerable consumers' ambivalent relationship with consumer protection regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy poverty has become a global problem, a phenomenon that has grown alarmingly due to the crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic, the crisis of high energy prices in 2021, followed by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. These recent events, as well as those associated with the energy transition that occurred in the last decades, have highlighted, in addition to the involvement of government institutions in terms of the necessity of policies in the field of energy, the need to research the phenomenon of energy poverty as well as the need for awareness of the phenomenon among local authorities and of the citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loot boxes have recently become a game mechanism of concern to policy-makers and regulators. The similarity between loot boxes and gambling is clear, and loot boxes and their regulation are commonly viewed through the lens of gambling. By contrast, very little attention has been given to tackling them as unfair, and in particular aggressive, commercial practices under consumer law. This article argues that by classifying the provision of loot boxes as a potentially aggressive commercial practice we will see that consumer law may protect gamers from some of the significant harms with which such products are associated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper reviews the origin of the EU consumer protection paradigm, its development in legal doctrine and the CJEU jurisprudence, as well as the impact left on it by the insights from vulnerable consumer theory and behavioural economics discussed in the legal doctrine. The authors search for an answer whether certain social and economic challenges can be addressed within the current framework of the EU Consumer law (i.e., the Unfair Contract Terms Directive).

A consumer that is on a regular basis reasonably well-informed, and reasonably observant and circumspect may be affected by vulnerability in a particular situation. The author strongly believes that in the area of consumer protection, the abstract notion of vulnerable consumer should be introduced, in addition to the average consumer, as a legal standard of equal importance. The fundamental relation of consumer law, business-to-consumer (B2C), has been upgraded with a complex business-to-vulnerable consumer relationship (B2VC). Public authorities, in particular, have to take this fact into account when interpreting and applying consumer law so that a higher level of protection is guaranteed to vulnerable consumers. If protection of the consumer, as the weaker contractual party, is a significant step in the eternal development of good faith principles, then guaranteeing special protection to vulnerable consumers should be the next crucial move forward in the evolution of good faith principles.

In this study, with a phenomenological approach, we seek to investigate and reconstruct the quality model of electronic banking services and its invisible aspects and diminish consumer losses with the possibility of vulnerability in the event of a corona pandemic. Based on existing theories and then focusing on the lived experience of individuals, this study tries to identify the dimensions, antecedents and, ultimately, the consequences of this phenomenon in the form of a model. Snowball sampling was carried out in the Tehran megacity, and data was gathered through a semi-structured interview with 25 participants. Through constant comparison of data; open, axial, and selective coding; as well as the analysis of relational content; concepts and themes were categorized. Data analysis showed that the quality of e-services has dimensions of efficiency, completeness of execution, ease of use and access, responsiveness, quality assurance, information, the attractiveness of use, security, emotional actions and functional value. Also, the antecedents affecting this phenomenon include previous experience, oral communication, organizational reputation, customer engagement, previous image, traditionalism and social responsibility, Finally, the consequences of this phenomenon include satisfaction and behavioural intentions. This qualitative study is one of the primary studies on older women's perceptions of the quality of e-banking services. Previous studies have not mentioned some findings of this study. Keywords Quality of electronic banking services, Vulnerable consumer, Phenomenology. . Introduction Competitive environment requires companies to adopt a variety of strategies to cope with. Recent scientific and technological advances have made the market even more competitive for goods and services quality improvement (Rahnavard & Abbaspour, 2014). Moreover, history witnesses an unprecedented technological change in our lives more than at any time in the past, and these changes put more pressure on consumers (Bennett & Maton, 2010). In this competitive age, not only should service providers seek key features and apply them in their products and services, but they should also monitor the changes in consumers’ needs and the position of their products constantly (Tabatabaeenasab & Ebrahimpour, 2015). A group of factors is found to affect individuals attitudes to accept E-banking such as self-service technologies, (Chaouali & El Hedhli, 2019; Chauhan et al., 2019) demographic variables (Chawla & Joshi, 2017, 2018), subjective norms (Ting et al., 2016), the impact of oral advertisement (Mehrad & Mohammadi, 2016), electronic service (Ayo et al., 2016), etc. The banking sector is losing consumers’ trust which needs to be restored. Financial markets are also fraught with challenges with consumers especially the disruptive social conditions that cause widespread complications for everyone (Clifton, Fernández-Gutiérrez & Olalla, 2017). Furthermore, the potential damage to customers is quite high in this industry as customers may lose all their major assets (Ramsay, 2000). Thus, the financial behavior, determining whether vulnerable consumers like elderlies and people with disabilities, who may perceive themselves at lower socioeconomic status, are susceptible to behavioral biases and therefore less likely to profit in the electronic communication market, must be considered (Lunn & Lyons, 2010). Due to the need to identify different categories of users of electronic services in the current situation (the Coronavirus pandemic) and the inevitability of banking activities, vulnerable groups like female elderlies who are prevented from attending communities need higher attention. Research Objectives This research aims to provide a detailed understanding of the needs and criticisms of vulnerable users and to investigate the precedents, consequences, and components of E-banking services. In addition, it tends to apply the findings to propose a model to reduce the damages. Methodology The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. Data collection was carried out by in-depth interviews. The population of the study was selected using the snowball sampling method. Data analysis of this research based on Strauss and Corbin instructions includes three main stages of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Finally, the theory of qualitative model research is expressed. Results Based on the data encoded from 25 interviews, some participants approved the theoretical findings of the quality of self-service E-banking. We also achieved the main influential concepts including traditionalism, and commitment. Concerning the dimension of self-service E-banking service, we have identified emotional actions and practical value as a new dimension to fill the gap in previous researches and provide the basis for future researches. The attractiveness dimension which was found in most online shopping studies was also found to be a self-service E-banking parameter, which is considered as one of the innovations of this study. The remaining components are supported by the literature and previous model. Discussion Given the rapid growth of technology and its application in people's daily lives and increasing competition in this field, identifying different types of behavior in customers and consumers and analyzing their psychological perception of quality leads to more effective marketing strategies. Since such services are designed for public use and the means of providing them are the same, it is important to consider the needs of customers who are more vulnerable to expand the use of these services. This is even more important since community health is at risk because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it makes it even more stressful for elderlies. References Afshari, Z., & Rarmezani, F. (2006). 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