CCAC advises consumers to be vigilant when shopping in local online marketplaces

Several official and unofficial complaints have been received of persons being scammed by local online places, thus the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) is advising consumers to be vigilant when entering into any transaction with sellers.
Complaints received have ranged from non-functioning of items purchased to items being materially different in brand and quality from those which were advertised. It is recognised that some sellers delete their social media accounts immediately after scamming consumers, and operate under several different names. In the absence of contact information, consumers and the CCAC have difficulty securing redress from the errant suppliers.
To avoid being scammed or duped by these unscrupulous suppliers, the CCAC is advising consumers to do the following:
Check the seller’s history, and review comments from recent buyers. Find out about their rules for refunds and returns, and ensure each seller lists their contact information, particularly a physical address; this is highly vital to facilitate the redress process.
Check closely the images posted, to verify they are the actual images of the item on sale, and are not stock images; and ensure you are allowed to test the functionality of electronics and appliances before you make the final purchase.
In addition, the CCAC is urging the public to use safe payment methods; ensure a receipt is collected for each transaction; ensure an explicit warranty is issued; and retain all messages and correspondences between them and the seller.
Further, the CCAC is recommending that if consumers encounter problems with a seller in the local online marketplace, the seller should immediately be contacted. And if the issue is not resolved, customers can file a complaint with the Commission via the website ccac.gov.gy.