Financial services sector top lists of our major complaints in 2015 – CPC

The director-general, Consumer The director-general, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Dupe Atoki, said the financial services sector ranked the highest in the complaints it received according to its 2015 Consumer Complaints records.

While noting that the Council was determined to address myriads of complaints by the consumers to ensure consumer safety, the CPC chief executive, who spoke in Abuja at a presentation with the theme, “Consumer Rights and Protection in the Emerging Digital economy in Africa,” said digitally competitive world required improved dynamics of law making in ensuring consumer safety.

“The dynamics of the complaints have fast gone beyond what our act provided for in the CPC Act No 66 of 1992, which came into effect in 1999. In 1999, the complaints did not factor in complaints from online transaction. Today, majority of our complaints are coming from that side and we are working extra mile to resolve them. We have a brand new National Assembly, and we would work closely with them in these area,” she said.

Available records have shown that there are more than 120 million mobile phone subscriptions in Nigeria and about 400 million subscribers in Africa; the internet is used by more than 250 million Africa citizens.

In Nigeria, there are 44 million internet users.

More than half of Nigeria and African consumers have made at least one online purchase in the last 12 months, about 80 percent of online consumers are using price comparison website to find better deals.

Atoki, however, urged consumers to always ensure that non disclosure of information on products and services, deceptive advertisement, improper description of products, poor or non-existent customer service, delivery of effective products or delayed delivery, poor formal dispute settlement procedures and double payments are well sorted out before they embark on transaction with service providers.

Meanwhile, Abdullahi Adamu, director, Consumer Protection in Nigeria Civil Aviation Aurthority, NCAA, said the directorate was inundated daily with passengers’ complaints from various terminals all over the country .

Protection Council (CPC), Dupe Atoki, said the financial services sector ranked the highest in the complaints it received according to its 2015 Consumer Complaints records.

While noting that the Council was determined to address myriads of complaints by the consumers to ensure consumer safety, the CPC chief executive, who spoke in Abuja at a presentation with the theme, “Consumer Rights and Protection in the Emerging Digital economy in Africa,” said digitally competitive world required improved dynamics of law making in ensuring consumer safety.

“The dynamics of the complaints have fast gone beyond what our act provided for in the CPC Act No 66 of 1992, which came into effect in 1999. In 1999, the complaints did not factor in complaints from online transaction. Today, majority of our complaints are coming from that side and we are working extra mile to resolve them. We have a brand new National Assembly, and we would work closely with them in these area,” she said.

Available records have shown that there are more than 120 million mobile phone subscriptions in Nigeria and about 400 million subscribers in Africa; the internet is used by more than 250 million Africa citizens.

In Nigeria, there are 44 million internet users.

More than half of Nigeria and African consumers have made at least one online purchase in the last 12 months, about 80 percent of online consumers are using price comparison website to find better deals.

Atoki, however, urged consumers to always ensure that non disclosure of information on products and services, deceptive advertisement, improper description of products, poor or non-existent customer service, delivery of effective products or delayed delivery, poor formal dispute settlement procedures and double payments are well sorted out before they embark on transaction with service providers.

Meanwhile, Abdullahi Adamu, director, Consumer Protection in Nigeria Civil Aviation Aurthority, NCAA, said the directorate was inundated daily with passengers’ complaints from various terminals all over the country .

HARRISON EDEH, Abuja