New Consumer Protection Bill: Rogue Traders Disciplined

10 years, 5 months ago - November 18, 2013

The discriminatory practices against consumers will be fined in the future. The Ministry of Industry and Trade will come forward soon with the New Consumer Protection Bill which seeks to protect consumers against dishonest traders. This new legislation will promote a series of measures, including a penalty of Rs 10,000 to Rs 250,000 for non-compliance with its provisions.

The New Consumer Protection Bill empowers the Ministry of Industry and Trade to remove the commodities market which do not conform to standards, regulations. It allows the officers of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to investigate, perform searches, to seize goods and prosecute.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade also wants to include in the bill, the right to consumer associations to take legal action against unscrupulous traders on behalf of consumers.

With the entry into force of this law, it will be possible to prohibit terms that are tedious contract concluded between consumers and traders. Also, this new bill is to prevent traders from selling items at exorbitant prices and products that are harmful to consumers.

A notice will be served to the traders who appear exorbitant prices. They will be asked to explain and provide the necessary documentation to the authorities to justify the price of an item.

Also, traders that prevent consumer access to a product will also be fined. The bill also covers the delivery of products to consumers while they have not made the request. It indicates that the consumer would not be responsible for such a practice. Traders must also compensate the consumer who buys a defective product.

The New Consumer Bill has also compiled a list of household products including the validity of the warranty period. The validity of a guarantee for an air conditioner and a washing machine will be 24 months. For a solar water heater warranty is 60 months. Any aggressive to force a consumer to buy a product campaign is prohibited.

Text by Le Matinal

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