EDITORIAL - Plaudits to CAC

A sceptical public may not always appreciate the work of the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) today, though plaudits are due to the agency for its efforts to protect consumers against exploitative and abusive business practices.

Head of the CAC, Dolsie Allen, has reported that for the 2013-14 period, the CAC settled more than 1,200 complaints and secured awards totalling $30.5 million on behalf of aggrieved customers. The bulk of the complaints involved the sale and repair of electrical equipment and appliances, as well as motor vehicle sales and parts. The utilities and telecommunications companies also ranked high among the violators of consumer rights.

The CAC said the settlement of 1,200 cases brought before it represents an 82 per cent resolution rate, which is an impressive performance by any measure.

The fact that nearly 1,500 complaints were made during the period under review is proof that many providers of goods and services are flouting the law when it comes to consumer rights and protection. Sadly, many Jamaicans are not aware of their rights as consumers and tend to get mad instead of seeking redress when they are wronged. So, we could safely assume that the true number of consumer-abuse instances is much higher than that reported by the CAC.

Consumer education

Education is a crucial element of advocacy. And persons should understand that consumer-lobbying muscles are invested in agencies like the CAC and the Fair Trading Commission, whose mandate is to hold companies accountable for the way in which they operate. It is against this background that the CAC has announced that consumer education will be an important plank of its work going forward.

While we applaud the CAC's work, there remain some caveats. Take, for example, the car dealers who are accused of ripping off their customers by contracting to sell their vehicles and disappearing with the proceeds. We assume that the CAC has a robust referral system, which provides details of its investigations to the police for action to be taken against these unscrupulous dealers. Their arrest and punishment should be well publicised in a national campaign to name and shame the offenders.

It is not unusual that a business that has most egregiously abused its customers makes restitution and is allowed to carry on business, free to pounce on the next unsuspecting victim. We believe that such persons should be appropriately punished.

In the months ahead, Ms Allen said the CAC would be working with the major telecommunications providers by engaging them in structured discussions to try to resolve common problems like dropped calls and interruption of service, as well as data privacy and security issues.

The next time you are a victim of unfair or deceptive practice, seek help from the CAC. By doing this, you may save someone from a similar fate. And chances are, the company will clean up its act.

Most cases of fraud can be avoided if the consumer knows his rights and is aware of how to seek redress under the law. It is always more difficult to abuse an informed consumer.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.