With Diwali just hours away and consumers expected to indulge in last minute shopping, the Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) is resounding its message for consumers to be vigilant and keep an eye out for misleading sales and promotions. Such practices are prevalent in the market place; especially during times of festivities and holidays; when […]
Festive season is indeed is a time for presents and wishes to come true. Whilst, not everyone gets to bump into Santa for gifts, there are special deals, discounts and giveaways available to choose from at popular stores to materialize dreams, for instance – owning one’s favorite washing machine, fridge, TV set or gas cooker. […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji has launched its festive season surveillance campaign dubbed ‘Trader Watch’; a vigorous and intensive market surveillance program targeting businesses which attract high consumer demand during this season. CCoF Chief Executive Officer, Ms Seema Shandil says that the number of consumer complaints evidently inflates during this time of the year given […]
As we are approaching the festive and wedding season, many consumers will be looking to hire event managers/ wedding decorators/ hall or event venues / corporate event decorators etc to accommodate guests and celebrations. Our complaints statistics shows that the Council has received a total of 23 complaints over the past year with the following […]
As towns and cities light up with sales, bonanzas and other promotions, consumers are reminded to be extremely vigilant when out for Diwali shopping. During such times of shopping spree, certain traders tend to take advantage of the hype of festivities by engaging in dodgy and unethical practices such as false claims, misleading and bait […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCOF), Nausori Town Council and Nasinu Town Council (NTC) earlier yesterday (29/09/22) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which now enables the three organisations to share information, provide relevant trainings and collaboratively investigate and solve consumer complaints. With a growing number of complaints pertaining to food and drinks, restaurants, supermarkets […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) commends the BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) for removing surcharge fees on all locally issued Visa Debit Cards (VDC) transacting on BSP EFTPoS terminals and is calling for other financial institutions to follow suit. Whilst commending BSP, CCoF Chief Executive Officer Ms. Seema Shandil said that the Fijian economy […]
1) Cause of Action under Breach of Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission Act 2010 (FCCC Act) Where the product fails to conform to the contract between you and the seller at the time of delivery, you as consumer can assert that the product was “defective” or “not fit for purpose and are entitled to seek […]
A credit card is a loan product offered by banks and financial institutions. Its enables consumers to perform a wide variety of transactions both locally and internationally. When a customer transacts on a credit card, it is the lenders who pays the trader upfront for these transactions. The customer in turn has to make payment […]
Consumers obtain loans for a multitude of reasons. Whilst loans can be beneficial, it must be perceived as a debt that has to be ultimately paid off. Reliance on loans becomes problematic when consumers are unable to repay their loans; creating financial, emotional and mental pressures on the consumer and their families. Recent complaints lodged […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) has referred several bakeries to relevant enforcement authorities over the past few months for the continuous breach of consumer protection laws which subjects consumers to unfair market practices. There has been a 24% increase in complaints against bakeries in the first 8 months of 2022 compared to the same […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) has become the latest organization to join the “I don’t accept bribes” campaign, a joint nationwide initiative by FICAC with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) under the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) project funded by the New Zealand Government. The launch of the anti-bribery campaign took place in […]
Certain consumers have been left anguished after their visit to hair salons resulted in severe scalp damage and hair loss. The 46 complaints registered at the Council in the last 18 months indicates the prevalence of similar issues and triggered an inspection campaign by the Council; which has revealed baffling results. The inspections discovered that […]
Self-proclaimed astrologers with claims of life-altering prowess are rife on social media platforms; with reports that consumers are falling victim to this sham and shelling hundreds of dollars out of their hard-earned cash. In a recent case which is currently being investigated by the Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF), an individual, who was facing some […]
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) is reminding banks of their fiduciary responsibility to effectively communicate with customers pertaining to any changes in terms and conditions, clauses in contracts and any changes/restrictions to the respective customers’ accounts or services. CCoF Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Seema Shandil says this reminder is being issued after the Council […]