Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, has underscored the need for dissatisfied consumers to always exhaust the Customer Complain Procedure, CCP, put in place by manufacturers before approaching the Agency for mediation and further assistance.
The General Manager of the Agency, Mrs. Kemi Olugbode made this known on Thursday during a meeting with manufacturers of consumable products in Lagos to address some key issues affecting consumers and the manufacturers.
She said that upon exhausting the CCP of a company and the company remains recalcitrant or the consumer still feels dissatisfied, the affected person has the right to approach LASCOPA to take up the issue, stressing that the option of approaching the agency should be the last resort.
According to her, the agency is aware of the fact that as much as consumers have rights to get maximum satisfaction from goods and services they paid for, the manufacturers also have their own rights which are often guided by the ‘Terms and Conditions’ on their products.
The General Manager, represented by the Director of Administration & Human Resources, Mrs. Adebopo Oyekan-Ismaila, promised the participants at the meeting that the agency would always strive for a win-win situation where there would be value for money on the part of the consumers while manufacturers also maximise profits on their goods and services.
She advised manufacturers to always consider the option of replacing bad products with a new one, urging them to tell their distributors to always accept perceived bad products for replacement.
Olugbode, however, pointed out that including a disclaimer such as “Goods when bought are not returnable” by sellers on the purchase receipt is an infringement on the rights of consumers, stressing that manufacturers should instead include other terms and conditions under which such product could be returned.She disclosed that the agency is working in collaboration with NAFDAC, SON and other regulatory bodies to unravel people behind unauthorised certification of some products by the regulators, adding that the State Government appreciates the roles of genuine manufacturers in employment generation and economic prosperity of the State.
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