Press Release 2017

The Consumer Council of Fiji welcomes the setting up of the new Kidney Dialysis Centre in Lautoka by the Island Kidney Assistance Foundation Fiji (IKAFF). The soon to open dialysis facility comes as a relief to the majority of the kidney dialysis patients who live in Viti Levu. This means that getting the treatment at a lower rate, in comparison to the other two facilities (Kidney Foundation of Fiji (KFoF) and Zen’s Medical Centre) offering the same services is now really well within their reach.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is pleased with the decision made by the Association of Banks in Fiji (ABIF) and Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) to reimburse consumers who were wrongly charged 2% credit card levy in 2012 and 2013.

The Consumer Council of Fiji welcomes the initiative undertaken by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) whereby they will be implementing the VAT Monitoring System (VMS) project in the supermarkets around the country soon.

Consumers are once again being cautioned to seek expert opinion on the second hand vehicles they intend to purchase.

The Consumer Council of Fiji reiterates its call that mandatory standard must be introduced to curb illegal trade practices in the marketplace where consumers unknowingly lose their hard-earned money

The Consumer Council is calling on the Hire Purchase (HP) companies in Fiji to clarify their stance on why they do not provide manufacturer’s warranty to consumers upon their purchase.

The Consumer Council of Fiji fully supports the recent call made by our Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to investigate a Rakiraki Bus company which failed to transport students from Rokovuaka Village in Ra to school (Fiji Times, PM orders bus company probe – 11/05/17).

Widespread flight delays and lost luggage have been identified as the key problems faced by consumers during their flights according to a global survey conducted by the Consumers International (CI).

There are businesses that are not customer oriented in the sense that they are not satisfying the customer by meeting their needs through effective after sales service. Complaints related to electronic goods tops the list of complaints received by the Council. Unfortunately most complaints are centered on the after sales service. Consumers don’t understand the importance of after sales service at the time of purchase.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is once again appealing to consumers to pay attention to details when purchasing and receiving items, particularly when dealing with timber.

In continuing efforts to promote networking in consumer protection at a regional level, the Consumer Council is hosting a three member delegation from Tonga for a week to understudy the work of the Council and to take part in hands-on training sessions.

The Consumer Council of Fiji will host a seminar on Health Insurance on Wednesday, 19th April, 2017 beginning at 9am at the Attorney General’s Conference Room in Suva. The Seminar will be officiated by the Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Mr. Philip Davies.

This long weekend consumers must check the price of items placed by the supermarkets on the pretext of “Specials”. The call comes in light of grievances raised by concerned consumers recently regarding a renowned supermarket selling the Jason’s 20g Bongo, Peanut Ruffs and Peanut Ruffs Spicy for $0.35 each (shelf price) while on the label marked “specials” 3x 20g packets would cost $1.10.

The Consumer Council of Fiji will be celebrating the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) on 15th March 2017. This year’s theme for WCRD is “Building a Digital World Consumers Can Trust” and the Council’s issue for discussion at the event is “Online Security”.

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry has evolved greatly over the last half century and has become an increasingly large part of household budgets. Over the past several years, experts and policymakers around the globe have expressed increasing concerns about protecting ICT systems. Cyberspace today is part of the daily life of people, industry, educational institutions and governments all over the world

The Consumer Council of Fiji is issuing a warning to all customers of Grace Florist in Damodar City to check that flowers that was paid for and supposed to be delivered on Valentine’s Day were actually delivered as agreed.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is very disappointed with Digicel’s Sky Pacific for using its monopoly position in pay TV services to continuously victimise its customers who clear their bills on time.

Over the years, Consumer Council has been receiving complaints and concerns from kidney dialysis patients in regards to the high cost of treatment provided to them.

The State’s decision to extend Rent Freeze Order on residential property for another year (ending on 31 December 2017) is indeed good news for the tenants in Fiji.

The Council refutes the Labasa Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Satish Kumar’s claim that: “As a businessman, I would say that most of my customers get attracted to music and that is one way we get them to shops with us…” Using sound system to do sales and get customers is not only an unethical way of doing business but also illegal.