Résumé
Trust in consumer organizations (COs), in particular for defending their interests against market practitioners, is at the heart of consumerism and consumer protection. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate on which factors they ground their willingness to rely on COs. Based on a qualitative study (51 informants) and a quantitative study (315 respondents), our study shows that their intention to trust COs depends on the way their cognitive, pragmatic and moral legitimacy is appraised. They also demonstrate that only the effect of pragmatic legitimacy on intent to trust varies according to perceived vulnerability. Vulnerability does not moderate the relationship between cognitive or moral legitimacy. Rather, vulnerability influences intent to trust directly.