The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) said in a press release it is successfully securing redress for aggrieved consumers by enforcing the Consumer Affairs Act (CAA) of 2011.
During 2022, the release said, 410 complaints, which amounted to a total cost of $261,202,298 were received. Eight-seven percent of those complaints were resolved to the value of $107,094,899.00. The other 13% are ongoing cases.
As in previous years, the electronics/electrical appliance/appliance services, and the auto industry continued to dominate the categories of complaints. The auto industry accounted for the highest value of complaints to the tune of $165,969,600. Region Four generated the highest number of complaints – 293, followed by Region Three with 64, Region Ten with 27, and Region Six with 14.
The CCAC release stated that 1,005 business inspections were conducted in eight of the ten administrative regions for compliance with the Consumer Affairs Act. Three hundred and ninety-seven of the businesses inspected were in conformance. The other 608 were made aware of their duties under the CAA and were given the opportunity to bring their operations into conformity.
In an effort to further increase compliance, the release said, the CCAC translated the excerpt of the Consumer Affairs Act 2011 to Mandarin. This document was handed over to the Chinese Association last December.
According to the statement, an inaugural compliance awards ceremony was launched in November 2022. Five businesses were awarded, and long-standing consumer advocate Pat Dial was awarded Consumer Advocate of the Year. For the first time, the CCAC introduced compliance certificates that were issued to compliant businesses. The commission will, in 2023, continue to host outreaches in all ten regions in its programme to increase awareness of the Consumer Affairs Act and the role of the CCAC, the release said.
