CCPC recovers K704, 336.1 in product refunds, replacements

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) recovered a total amount of K 704, 336.1 in product refunds and replacements in the year 2014.

CCPC says this is the amount of money consumers would have lost had it not been for the Commission’s intervention considering the fact that most traders and service providers refused to offer consumers either a refund or a replacement.

In a statement the commission says out of the grand total money recovered in product refunds and product replacements, a total of K 345,301.58 was recuperated in product refunds, while K 359,034.52 in product replacements in the period between January and December, 2014.

Meanwhile, the Commission at the close of 2014, investigated and resolved more than 827 cases bordering on consumer rights violation compared to 338 that were investigated and resolved by the Board in 2013.

Of these cases, most of the complaints the Commission received violated section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) which involves unfair trading practice,totaling 319 cases followed by supply of defective products (Section 49(1)) with 209 cases investigated and resolved.

The commission says the increase in the number of cases handled could be attributed to an unprecedented awareness programme carried out around the country as well as the opening of regional offices in Solwezi, Kasama and Mongu which were opened to the public in the second quarter of 2014.

And the Commission has set a projected target of handling 1,000 cases for this year (2015) stating that this was considering the opening of four more regional offices this year which are Livingstone, Mansa, Kabwe and Chinsali which would result in the beefing up of staff.