Consumer Affairs Office receives close to 100 complaints in 9 months

by Linda Straker

• Consumer Affairs Office opened in March 2024
• Operates under Consumer Protection Act of 2018
• 60% of complaints resolved; balance being investigated and processed

Since opening its doors in March 2024, the Consumer Affairs Office has received close to 100 complaints. 60% of them were resolved, while the balance is still being investigated and processed.

“For the year we have received approximately 95 complaints of which we have received a resolution rate of over 60%, those others that have not been resolved, they are still being investigated and processed,” said Merlyn Horsford-Williams, Director of Consumer Affairs, during an end of year review with the Government Information Service (GIS).

She said that her office must empower consumers because that is the only way they can understand their rights. “We operate under the Consumer Protection Act of 2018 and so far we have engaged with our key stakeholders some of which were not even aware of the act and what it provides.”

“We would have engaged with the Royal Grenada Police Force. We met with the Eastern Division officers and we were able to share vital knowledge on how to handle consumer complaints just as part of strengthening the collaborative process,” said Horsford-Williams. She explained that one of the most important workshops held was one with suppliers. “We had over 27 businesses represented at that workshop and we held it under the topic “Compliance Matters” because we wanted to ensure that our suppliers are knowledgeable of what is included in the act.”

She said that engaging with the office is extremely important because it “gives them an opportunity to have an avenue to understand their rights, to understand what is it they can execute in terms of understanding their grievances and knowing what their rights are to information.”

According to the legislation, the responsibilities of the office shall include:

1. carrying out investigation on its own initiative or at the request of any person, such investigations in relation to the conduct of business or any complaint by a consumer in relation to the supply of goods or services that will enable the office to determine whether any person is engaged in practices that are in contravention of this act; or goods or services are supplied in contravention of this act
2. making reports and recommendations as it thinks fit to the minister in respect of investigations made
3. promoting the development of and monitoring the operations of organisations formed to provide services for the protection of consumers to ensure that they fulfil the criteria listed in section 5 of the law and ensure that the consumer’s interests receive due consideration at those forums
4. collecting, compiling and analysing information in relation to any trade or business and the marketing of goods and services
5. providing information to consumers respecting their rights and obligations as consumers to enable them to make informed choices about goods and services at competitive prices and
6. providing information and guidelines to the public on the functions of the office and obligations of consumers and business enterprises under this act