…CCAC says Guyanese consumers face high levels of unfair trade from the business community

EVEN as Guyana undergoes a ‘rapid transformation’ in the market of goods and services, Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) said consumers here are facing increased vulnerability through new forms of unfair trade and unscrupulous business practices by various players within the business community.

This was pointed out in the 2018 Consumers Affairs Annual Report of the CCAC, in which it was pointed out that there has been an exponential increase in consumer complaints lodged with the agency annually over the past four years.

The CCAC said that the rapid transformation in the market of goods and services is due to the intensification of international trade, and the rapid growth of e-commerce in Guyana. This ultimately filters down and offers consumers tremendous new opportunities. “Consequently, this has increased consumers’ vulnerability to new forms of unfair trade and unscrupulous business practices, “the CCAC said.

In providing a statistical breakdown of the situation, the CCAC said that because of the increase in complaints, the commission’s Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU) has undergone a profound revolution in order to combat the growing issue.
The unit has moved away from the norm of primarily solving complaints to being a pioneer in consumer advocacy as well as sensitising suppliers of their duties through countrywide business inspections.

In 2018, the CAU received 284 complaints from consumers about various goods and services and in 2017, the unit received 236 complaints representing an increase of 22 per cent. But when compared to 2015, the time when the CAU dated its analysis, there were a mere 115 complaints, the more recent figure points to a steep increase in consumer reports.

The reports also made a comparable note for its 2018 analysis in which it was pointed out that 90 per cent of the complaints were about products while the remaining 10 per cent centered on services. It was noted that most of the reports (30) were lodged in January and November (33) of 2018.

On average the CAU received 24 reports each month for last year and most of the reports were received from persons living in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica). This was tied to the high level of commercial activities within the region as well as proximity to a high level of businesses.

As regards its ability to resolve the complaints received within a timely manner, the CCAC said the unit is faced with various constraints which may result in a prolonged time before some complaints are resolved.

The CCAC said that in order to increase its efficiency and the level of compliance from suppliers, the unit has undertaken several measures which include sensitisation of suppliers of their duties through business inspections.

On this note, the CCAC said in keeping with its mandate, it successfully embarked on its first countrywide Business Compliance Inspection exercise in 2018 with the primary aim of ensuring businesses were in compliance with the Consumer Affairs Act (2011), specifically the section which deals with the Duties of the Supplier. During the exercise, the team also sought to educate suppliers who possessed minimal knowledge of the Act, thereby increasing the level of awareness and subsequently compliance.