The Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) said that more than 400 retailers have been prosecuted, while 100 others have been issued with compliance notices over the past two months for breaking the law in their dealings with consumers.
Speaking to State media, CPC research and public affairs manager Kudakwashe Mudereri revealed that some of the culprits are telecommunications companies.
The companies have been accused of engaging in the sale of expired products, non-compliance with product labelling regulations and failure to display prices on goods, among other violations.
Mudereri warned retailers who persistently cheat and default on their obligations that they will have their licences revoked. He said:
So far, over 3 000 inspections have been done. Out of that, over 100 have been issued with compliance notices and over 400 have been successfully prosecuted and over 200 cases have been successfully investigated.
Over 98 per cent of the investigations have resulted in consumers being given their refund or an exchange of the faulty product or good.
Some have even been given their mobile phones back by telecom companies after our interventions.
Mudereri said the most prevalent violations included displaying disclaimer notices such as “No returns”, “No refunds” and “No exchange” and selling expired products.
The other violations include failure to give a warranty on products; failure to display prices for goods and services; failure to provide product labelling; and failure to issue receipts to customers.
CPC has carried out successful inspections in Harare and Bulawayo and has now turned its attention to all small towns across the country. Added Mudereri:
Following the arrests that were made in Harare, Bindura and Chinhoyi, the commission also made some arrests in Manicaland, where over 60 businesses were made to pay fines for violating provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.
In addition, the commission did 291 inspections in Masvingo, and 33 businesses were issued with compliance notices and 88 were prosecuted.
The Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 14:44) confers rights to consumers. Some key features and provisions of the Consumer Protection Act are consumer rights, prohibition of unfair practices, product liabilities and safety, consumer contracts, consumer education and awareness, and dispute resolution.
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