400 retailers sanctioned
MORE than 400 retailers have been prosecuted, while 100 others have been issued with compliance notices for short-changing customers over the past two months, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) has said.
The culpable retailers — among them telecommunications companies — have been accused of engaging in the sale of expired products, non-compliance with product labelling regulations and failure to display prices on goods, among other violations.
CPC research and public affairs manager Mr Kudakwashe Mudereri said more than 3 000 inspections have been carried out against retailers across the country since August.
He said retailers who persistently cheat and default on their obligations face the possibility of having their trading licences suspended or revoked.
“So far, over 3 000 inspections have been done. And out of that, over 100 have been issued with compliance notices and over 400 have been successfully prosecuted and over 200 cases have been successfully investigated.
“Over 98 percent of the investigations have resulted in consumers being given their refund or an exchange of the faulty product or good. Some have even been given their mobile phones back by telecom companies after our interventions,” he said.
Mr Mudereri said the most prevalent violations included displaying disclaimer notices such as “No returns”, “No refunds” and “No exchange”; selling expired products; failure to give a warranty on products; failure to display prices for goods and services; failing to provide product labelling; and failure to issue receipts to customers.
After successful inspections in Harare and Bulawayo, the commission has now started operations in all small towns across the country.
“Following the arrests that were made in Harare, Bindura and Chinhoyi, the commission also made some arrests in Manicaland, where over 60 businesses were made to pay fines for violating provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.
“In addition, the commission did 291 inspections in Masvingo, and 33 businesses were issued with compliance notices and 88 were prosecuted,” he added.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president Mr Denford Mutashu said the act of providing goods and services without proper labelling was a violation of the law.
“The exchange rate has stabilised and pricing should reflect the same in order to restore sanity in doing business. There is a need for responsible pricing by businesses so that consumers can enjoy the benefits of economic stability.
“It’s an offence to offer goods for sale to customers without standard labelling,” he said. The statutory body said the enforcement blitz was meant to ensure that businesses comply with provisions of the law.
The Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 14:44) confers rights on consumers.
These include the right to consumer education and awareness; the right to health and safety; the right to choose; the right to information; the right to be heard, representation and redress; and the right to fair contractual agreements.