Recognizing that consumers have the right to receive just, equitable and sustainable economic and social development, policies to curb abusive business practices by all domestic, regional and international enterprises have become necessary.
And so the Consumer Affairs Bill 2011 was passed in Parliament last Thursday, and is geared towards protecting consumers’ rights and ensuring fair business practices.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad, during a press briefing at his South Road office last week, emphasized that it is important for consumers to receive adequate protection and for the government to promote market conditions which will provide consumers with greater choice at lower prices.
“This Bill will greatly assist the entire Guyanese community, because all of us are consumers and all businesses who do not do things in accordance with consumers’ rights will now have to comply,” he related.
The economic benefit of consumer legislation stems from ensuring adequate pre and post transaction information is available to consumers and suppliers.
It also ensures that suppliers provide sufficient information to consumers to inform their decision on whether or not to buy a product or service – based on the price they are being charged, the quality and functionalities of the product and/or service, and the contractual rights and obligations of the supplier and of the consumer.
When consumers have access to adequate information, this will ensure that businesses benefit more by being able to supply the right goods and services in the market place, Minister Prashad pointed out.
He noted that currently in Guyana, if a consumer purchases a faulty good or a mislabelled product, he or she has little ability to enforce the contract of that purchase, as such unfair trade practices are not explicitly disallowed in the contract; as such the consumer does not have the means of redressing such ill-practices.
However, once the Consumer Affairs Bill 2011 is enforced, consumers will be educated about their rights, and suppliers will be educated about their obligations and responsibilities to the consumers.
Minister Prashad noted that even though the Bill does not address transportation cost, there are guidelines included in the legislation to ensure that standards are maintained for the provision of this service.
In explaining, he stated, “The Consumer Affairs Bill does not address transportation cost because the minibus issue is being dealt with separately; however, all consumers using public transportation, once they are paying and the service is substandard, that can be deemed an offence under the Consumer Affairs Bill.”
Prashad revealed too that the legislation would also protect against unscrupulous mechanics who impose additional charges on their customers.
“If you take your car to a mechanic shop and you are paying to have one service done and the mechanic in turn bills you for additional work, you are not obliged to pay the additional charges,” he said.
This will also apply to cell phone repair shops, and the customer will have to be informed of the additional work needed if they are to be billed for the service.
In a continued effort to further protect consumer rights, the minister announced that government would soon introduce hire purchase legislation as this has been identified as an important issue.