The Government opens administrative processes to local shops

Ecuadornews:

Buying a product in a store and having to change it because it does not work well or was not what the advertising promoted, becomes a via-crucis for the client. Very few places have an agile system to deal with complaints. In general, you have to go from department to department until you reach a reasonable solution.

The statistics of noncompliance with the technical regulation of the INEN, which are in the process of investigation by the authorities, give proof of this reality on which it has been written frequently in Diario EXPRESO.

Faced with the facts, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries, through the Undersecretary of Quality, works on the regulation of the market by applying the RTE INEN technical regulation to industrialized products.

For this year, its surveillance plan is focused on the control of the highest incidence and consumption products: televisions, refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, textiles, footwear, leather goods, among others.

“From a surveillance carried out to 166 commercial stores nationwide, the ministry has verified that 30% of them would be in breach of technical regulations, and has initiated administrative processes, in compliance with the Law of the Ecuadorian System of Quality”, informed the Ministry of Production.

In relation to the Consumer Protection Program and its system of attention to queries and complaints to customers, in 2018 a repair was generated for a value of $ 594,000, due to deficiencies in products or services and misleading advertising.

Currently, the Ministry of Production makes available to consumers the Product Alert System (SIAP), through the website www.siap.gob.ec.

The platform has been created with the purpose of guaranteeing responsible consumer rights and the empowerment of the claim, which will allow establishing market corrections of situations that could affect the safety and life and human, animal and plant health.

This seeks to preserve the environment and avoid deceptive practices that may lead to errors in the choice of products or services.

In the articles that Diario EXPRESO has published, customers have complained that the Claim Book is not in view of the consumer. Now that the authority decided to put the magnifying glass and control, many things will have to be corrected. (I)

Source: https://www.expreso.ec/economia/controles-productos-calidad-comerciolocal-gobiernoecuador-AX2653893