On 15th March, Consumer Council of Fiji will be celebrating World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD). This will be part of a global campaign to build a better Digital World that promotes access, participation and innovation that is good for consumers, the economy and society. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually to mark the anniversary of President […]

Buying a plot of land and building a house on it is a dream for many of us. While the Housing Authority of Fiji is mandated to provide affordable housing for the working class in Fiji, the demand far exceeds supply by as much as 4 times. This leads to home and land buyers searching […]

Electricity is an essential energy source that plays a critical role in growth and development of Fiji. It is one of the greatest technological innovations of mankind. Electricity has become an integral part of our homes & businesses. One cannot imagine life without power. Without electricity our comfort and services we expect in our homes […]

Safety features in new cars should be universal. This simple measure would save thousands of lives every year. Road traffic deaths are now the 9th biggest killer globally, and are predicted to become the 7th biggest killer worldwide by 2030 unless urgent action is taken. Unsafe cars are a major contributor to this statistic. Consumer […]

The spread of counterfeit products has increased globally in recent years. Counterfeiting is everywhere – it can affect what we eat, what we watch, what medicines we take and what we wear. Counterfeiting and piracy is also seen in Fiji whether its electronic goods, spare parts, cosmetics, clothes, shoes, alcohol, chemicals, bags, movies or music. […]

Over the years the State has focused on improving the socio-economic status of all Fijians. This is especially true for those on the margins of our society, so as to ensure that all consumers have access to affordable and quality housing. Access to affordable and proper housing should be more readily available to all consumers. […]

Back to school shopping can creep up on you and your family quickly, so it pays to be prepared. For many families, getting ready to go back to school is not only a time-consuming process but also an expensive one. The cost of ‘going back to school’ keeps on increasing every year. Many parents have already begun […]

Know your consumer rights and how to keep safe this festive season. Online shopping can be easy when you do your last-minute shopping, however, this can be a hassle too if you do not shop with precautionary measures. As a consumer, you need to avoid most common consumer issues that come with other festive-season favorite […]

You may have experienced buying expensive jewelries such as earring, necklace, and bracelets and later find out that it is not to what you had paid for. After wearing those jewelries with adornment for a few months, they start to fade or peel off despite being advised by the jeweler that the ornaments are genuine. […]

A Compulsory Third Party Insurance (CTPI) is a form of insurance that protects any person that you might injure while you are driving a vehicle, including pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users. CTPI provides against losses incurred as a result of traffic accidents and any other liabilities that could be incurred in an accident. Therefore, […]

Advertisements of products online, especially on social media, often lure people. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being used by retailers as a way to easily reach out to their customers. However, it should always be the responsibility of the consumers to demand for the actual photo of the products and […]

Every consumer should know the meat they eat when dining out in chain of restaurants in the country or when travelling abroad. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health facing us today. About half of the antibiotics produced globally are used in agriculture, with much of this being used to make […]

A healthy diet begins with lots of fruits and vegetables but they may also contain shocking amounts of harmful pesticides. Some farmers opt to spray synthetic pesticides on crops to kill weeds and insects. This leaves the pesticide residues on the fruits and vegetables sprayed by the farmers. The toxic residues then linger on fruit […]

Part I Debt is a reality. Most people borrow money to assist them with their investments such as buying a house, car, paying university fee, medical bills or simply to organise a funeral service.  Some even borrow these days to host a grand-fat wedding for themselves. Some people have dug themselves into a hole of […]

Reference is made to a letter titled, ‘Fake make-up’ by Rajesh Lal of Navua, published in this newspaper (The Fiji Times) dated 09 August 2016. The key questions raised by the letter writer is – how it would be possible to classify make-up as genuine and fake?” Today – we attempt to explain what fake […]