In 2022, the National Authority for Consumer Protection (NACP) in Romania marked 30 years of existence and released a report on its activities. While the NACP has successfully recovered significant sums for consumers through enforcing financial protection rules, primarily through addressing abusive contract terms, the overall impact of their enforcement efforts over the past three decades could be better. This paper critically evaluates the NACP’s enforcement of consumer financial protection rules by examining empirical data coupled with several high-profile national investigations and their outcomes. Through analysis of factors such as underfunding, lack of qualified staff, the industry lobby, political involvement, lack of transparency, and regulatory capture, the paper proposes explanations for NACP’s apparent shortcomings. Ultimately, the article posits that redesigning the consumer protection mechanism is necessary to improve financial protection enforcement in Romania.