THE Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) of Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), yesterday, hosted a World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2014 symposium.

The forum at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, sought to champion and highlight the rights of all consumers.
WCRD is celebrated by consumer organisations all over the world every year on March 15, towards uniting the global movement for a day of action around a common campaign theme ‘Fix our Phone Rights’.
This year the drive is to highlight the importance of consumer protection in building a safer, fairer world.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Irfaan Ali, delivering the feature address yesterday, said the event is geared to celebrate the rights of consumers and fixing their phone rights as they join with international partners.
He urged all other agencies that were not present on the occasion to have an exchange with the relevant bodies to foster good consumer relations, and reaffirmed Government’s commitment to liberalisation- opening of the sector to more competition and for, ultimately, more effective service to the consuming public.
Ali said that the only right to a consumer is very basic and that is the power of the consumer to consume or be consumed, that is, the fundamental right of the consumer. Because of that reason, big phone companies spend such large budgets on marketing and why technology in phones is changing rapidly as they have seen the ability of consumers to consume themselves in a better phone everyday.
Too engrossed
He added that, very often, people become too engrossed in their mobile phones that they take away from society and often forget that landline instruments exist.
Ali said the consumer today more and more allows themselves self redress in terms of protection when they purchase phones and, often, they bring cell phones from foreign places and unlock them and, thereafter, if there is a problem with the instrument where will they go for redress.
The mobile market has become so exciting there are deals like paying nothing down and the many trade-in offers and, given the many imitation cell phones on the market, the time has come to regulate the sector, noting its size and that of the consuming public, the Minister reflected.
Ali stated that, as such, the small cell phone dealers will have to subject themselves to scrutiny as well as the large companies and the consumers also because of fair trade being fairness to all stakeholders.
He also outlined the challenges faced in the sector and the terms of enforcement it will take to regulate and also regulator changes that are required but the consumer has the power to demand fair services.
Ali called, too, for a greater level of transparency in the billing system, because consumers are losing value for money, service providers need to address the situation for roaming charges and how effective is the consumers complaint mechanism and how integrated are the services with the providers of cell phones and hidden costs.
He asked that consumers be aware of their contracts and take time to read them when purchasing cell phones and demand proper service and the right to protecting personal information when the need arises in enhancing their rights.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission, Mr Ramesh Dookhoo said that, as WCRD is approaching, consumers need redress and the legal infrastructure has changed over the years by the introduction of the Consumer Affairs Act 2011 that was assented to by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Pioneering legislation
He said this pioneering legislation has led to the composition and formation, in 2011, of the Consumer Affairs Commission known CCAC. In actual fact, the first bit of legislation that governs its establishment was the Fair Trading Act of 2006.
Dookhoo said that on March 15, 2014, one hundred and twenty countries worldwide are celebrating WCRD and, when he asked the gathering if they can imagine a world without mobile phones, many shook their heads.
He remarked that, in just a few years, cell phones have become an indispensable part of people’s lives and they can be found in every country around the world and in 2013 the Consumers International estimated that 6.8 billion people owned mobile phones.
Dookhoo said, as the WCRD drive is tackling the misuse of mobile phones, CCAC has joined the effort to ensure that phone rights are protected by warranties and there is a return policy and contracts are written in a fair manner without unfair contract terms.
As Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Commission, he said the good work of the CCAC will progress particularly in the area of enforcement of Consumer Affairs Act (CAA), sensitisation and the importance of upholding the rights of both consumers and the business community.
Dookhoo, a former President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Ltd and formerly Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, is a member of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Guyana.
He is the current President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce where he represents the Private Sector Commission of Guyana.
Also making brief remarks was Mr. Clifton Zammett who represented the absent Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Willet Hamilton.
During the opening ceremony, the Bishop’s High School Choir sang a popular song which was well received by the gathering drawn from several agencies across Guyana including cell phone dealers.
There were presentations, as well, by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T).