Tired of inferior goods!

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Is there a body working on the public’s behalf to ensure that at the very least minimum standards are attained for imported and locally produced goods?

My clients, who are landlords and those in the construction industry, are tired of plumbing items being of inferior quality, lasting at times only a few days before becoming non-functional and unfit for the purposes bought and which leads to them paying extra installation/labour costs.

There seems to be a free-for-all import of any brand out of that Far East country, with no one to ban inferior-quality goods from our shelves. We seem more vigilant in protecting the ‘brand named products’ from piracy than saving the poor consumer in Jamaica from knock-off useless items!

Consumer protection is within the remit of our elected representatives. These items should not have been allowed to enter the country in the first place, as after purchase, consumers have had holes burnt in their pockets and have had to battle with retailers’ non-return policies.

I call upon the citizens to let their voices be heard and for the relevant minister to talk up and put in place stringent prohibitive polices that will keep low-quality goods out of Jamaica.

BERT SAMUELS

Attorney-at-law