CCAC to crack down on businesses not issuing receipts

…urges consumers to lodge complaints

The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) is urging customers to lodge complaints against businesses that do not issue receipts following a purchase.
According to the CCAC, it will be unable to address any complaints made without proof of purchase.
Consumer Affairs Officer attached to the Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU), Feyona Austin-Paul told Guyana Times on Tuesday that despite efforts made by the Commission to sensitise consumers on their rights, most customers are still unaware of their privileges.
“Some customers are still not aware of their rights because they are still going into these stores and shopping and then they have to come here which is a measure to show that they probably were not aware in the first place but it also could say that they are aware because they know where they could come for some form of redress,” she said.
Austin-Paul said that the Unit has been trying to reduce the high number of complaints reaching the Unit by stopping the problem at the root. According to her, this would see businesses being inspected more regularly to identify the flaws.
The consumer officer explained that as of now, business owners are being warned and are given a specific timeframe to adjust their services to suit customers. Moreover, she noted that the names of errant business owners will also be published on the Commission’s website for consumers to be aware of flawed businesses.
On this note, Austin-Paul encouraged customers to complain against store owners who do not issue receipts, so that the Commission can investigate and ensure those businesses become compliant.
In its annual report for 2018, the CAU said it received more queries than complaints as most persons are now trying to familiarise themselves with their rights.
The report explained, “One of the reasons why this is so is because consumers are not fully aware of their rights even though they are advised to visit the office or file their complaints online. Many consumers fear that filing a complaint against a supplier may cause conflicts or affect their shopping in the future. Therefore, in order to surmount this challenge, the Commission needs to be more active in regards to advocacy”.
In its annual report, the unit said that in 2015, some 112 complaints were received and 89 per cent were resolved. In the following year, 141 complaints were filed and 74 per cent were resolved. In 2017, these figures almost doubled as 236 complaints were received and 84 per cent were resolved. Meanwhile, in 2018, the Commission looked into 289 complaints and managed to resolve 79 per cent or 229 of same. The complaints received last year were valued at $91,868,324.
Furthermore, the monthly complaints received were at an average of 24. This also exceeded previous years which were recorded at 19 complaints in 2017, 12 complaints in 2016 and 9 complaints in 2015, CCAC revealed.