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Mutsawashe Mashandure
Herald Correspondent
Consumers should exercise their right to quality services and when not satisfied must return the goods as specified under the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has said.
The CPC said that under the law, customers have powers to ensure they receive quality products they expect and deserve. The commission’s research and public affairs manager, Mr Kudakwashe Mudereri said the rights of consumers must always be respected.
In line with the Government’s thrust of leaving no one and no place behind, we have been around the country conducting 10,000 inspections and prosecuting 2000 businesses.
The major violation is selling expired products, and this is because before the coming in of the law, businesses were just taking advantage of consumers and selling these expired products. Once caught, the businesses have been prosecuted and fined.
“On that note, we have been educating consumers to check the expiration dates of products since they do not have this culture, he said.
Mr Mudereri said they have noted that some shops specifically state that there once the product has left the shop it cannot be returned or refund demanded.
“The law says if the consumer is not happy with the product, they remain entitled to return the product to either be given a refund, a corresponding product, or an exchange.
The consumer chooses what he/she wants because businesses cannot absolve themselves of risk. We will leave no stone unturned until businesses comply with the provisions of the law in line with the Second Republic’s thrust of ensuring our consumers receive the best on the market, he said.
Other violations uncovered included charging consumers different prices than those displayed on the shelves.
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