Consumer complaints rise in 2023 – DTI

Online transactions continued to dominate the complaints lodged by consumers at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last year.

The DTI said in a statement that the number of complaints received by the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) inched up by three percent to 28,824 complaints in 2023 from 27,947 in 2022.

“Among the complaints received, 42 percent were related to online transactions,” the DTI said.

The department said most complaints involved deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and practices.

This was followed by complaints on products and services liability and misleading or fraudulent sales promotion.

Of the total, the DTI said 31 percent or 8,937 were mediated and adjudicated.

Meanwhile, 69 percent or 19,887 complaints were endorsed to other concerned government agencies in line with the DTI’s “No Wrong Door” policy.

According to the DTI, it continues to provide fair and efficient redress to consumers in adherence to Department Administrative Order 13-02 of 2013, which covers the resolution of complaints within the jurisdiction of the agency.

“In an era where digital transformation reshapes industries, the DTI continues to ensure fair and impartial adjudication, upholding the principles of due process and procedural fairness,” Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said.

The DTI is urging the public to remain vigilant and to get in touch with the concerned government agencies for their complaints and concerns.

The FTEB also achieved zero backlog and processed a total of 40,273 DTI permits, licenses and accreditation applications in 2023, the DTI said.

Of the total, 66 percent or 26,539 were sales promotion permits, while 30 percent or 11,903 were certificates of authority to import and accreditation. The remaining four percent or 1,831 were business licensing and accreditation-related licenses and certificates.

According to the DTI, 38,769 were applications from new business transactions and 1,504 were renewal applications.

The DTI attributed the efficient process to its digitalization efforts, particularly, the implementation of the Integrated Registration Information System.

The system resulted in a 95.52 percent overall satisfaction rating for the frontline services related to business regulations transactions.

“The DTI assures the public of our efforts to deliver excellent services. Rest assured that we are continuously finding ways to support ease of doing business in the country,” Pascual said.