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Contact:
Chris Satney
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - The Consumer Affairs Department engaged
the Asian section of the business community last week, in dialogue on the issue
of consumer protection. The exercise at the Auberge Seraphine was part of a
series of meetings being conducted with various groups within the business
community on the subject.
The Department recently conducted a similar activity with the banking sector and
described that exercise as being highly successful.
Director of Consumer Affairs, Phillip Mc Lauren said the aim of the initiative
is to increase the awareness of, and sensitisation to the sector on the
importance of protecting the consumer.
“We are trying to meet with different groups to raise issues, to see how best we
can achieve one common goal: that you have a satisfied consumer. A satisfied
consumer means repeat business; a satisfied consumer means less conflict between
business and consumers”, Mr. Mc Lauren said.
The Bureau of Standards is also assisting in lowering the huge numbers of
complaints from the public, by ensuring that businesses comply with standards
specifications for products sold on the local market, giving specific attention
this year, on the sale of Christmas lights. Director of the Bureau, Dr. Allison
Plummer said that many stores were still ordering 120 volt electronic items for
sale on the island, when the required voltage was 220.
“If you are importing fans, make sure you have a responsibility to ensure that
you know what you are importing, and somebody is not just packing a container,
closing it and shipping it to your shores, and assuming that it can be sold”,
she stressed.
Over the last three years complaints from members of the public on transactions
made at businesses belonging to the Asian Community have risen steadily. Some
17% of all complaints registered up to August of this year, came from the Asian
business sector, and the Consumer Affairs Department expects that figure to
increase especially, as we are now in the Christmas season. The complaints
against the Asian business sector this year are up on the recorded 15% of total
complaints in 2001.
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