Dunn: Consumer oversight bodies protect vulnerable consumers
Published:Saturday | July 17, 2021 | 12:11 AM
The Government of Jamaica is seeking to assure consumers that the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), for which a merger is close to completion, are the invisible hands working to ensure value for money.
State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr Norman Dunn, said that the day-to-day running of these agencies might not be noticeable with the naked eye.
“Most times persons might not see the importance on a day-to-day basis of both the Consumer Affairs Commission and the FTC but these are the invisible hands behind the scenes ensuring that markets are competitive and consumers are in fact protected,” the state minister said.
He said that in keeping with the focus of both the FTC and the CAC, the most vulnerable were protected and could make choices that were in their best interest.
Dunn’s remarks came during a virtual press briefing yesterday.
The FTC and the CAC will soon become a single public body to execute the functions of the consumer protection and Fair Competition Act.
The CAC said for the first quarter ending June 30, they handled 603 complaints and were able to have 53 per cent of those complaints resolved.
Dolsie Allen, CAC chief executive officer, said the agency has had interactions both with consumers and providers of goods and services.
“Through handling these complaints we were able to secure on behalf of aggrieved consumers for the first quarter $4.8 million in terms of compensation.”
The top category of complaints according to trend in reports is electrical equipment and appliances, which accounts for 27 per cent of the complaints.
The CAC has been named as the agency that will deal with any complaints with microlending agencies.
“If you are having challenges, if you have borrowed and gone into arrangements with persons in the microcredit sector and you are having challenges, come to the CAC and we can try to assist you in whatever way possible,” Allen said.