A key official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental is asking the public to exercise their rights as a consumer but to also be careful in making purchases to ensure they get the exact product they want.
Angeline Gonzalez, the Chief Trade and Industry Development Specialist of the DTI here, made her appeal as they conducted Wednesday a consumer empowerment seminar jointly with the Department of Energy (DOE) at a local hotel in this capital city.
Gonzalez explained that they merged the consumer empowerment seminar with the DOE’s three-day public consultation on product labeling, especially on electronic appliances, which ends Thursday, because energy is part of DTI’s consumer protection areas.
Product labeling will help consumers decide which particular appliance, such as a refrigerator or air conditioning unit, is the right one for them, especially if the item carries information on its energy efficiency rating (EER), she said.
The right to be informed is just one of the many consumers’ rights that DTI is advocating and promoting, Gonzalez said.
According to her, when a product is properly labeled, a consumer knows what to look for, saying “ a well-informed consumer is the best protected consumer”.
A consumer also has the right to safety and therefore product labeling will also ensure a customer’s safety when purchasing an appliance or other items that require EER labels, she said.
The DTI official also noted that consumer rights must be exercised and observed especially with the advent of the digital age and where online marketing is now the trend.
According to her, many people fall prey to online sellers who turn out to be fictitious or selling products that do not actually match what is advertised on social media.
Some customers come to their office to file a complaint but Gonzalez admitted that it is difficult for DTI to locate or contact the apparently illegitimate sellers, especially if they do not have a legal personality and do not provide proper business addresses.
She said DTI, nevertheless, welcomes any complaint filed with their office as a consumer has the right to redress.
Gonzalez pointed out that online selling has become a trend now, but people should verify first the background of the seller before making some purchases.
The DTI official stressed that consumers must be responsible in making orders online, ensuring that it is a safe and legitimate transaction. (Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)