Protection of consumer rights

07/ 06/ 2017

Listen to online Stop   At the end of last year, Victoria decided to defend her consumer rights by going to the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection after a shop that sold her a defective product refused to replace it. Victoria bought an action-camera from them along with some accessories for it. The equipment purchased did not work and didn’t come with a manual either (which in itself is a violation of consumer rights), so she had no way of knowing what to do or how to fix it. Victoria wrote a letter of complaint to the store directory asking to address the issue as the shop assistants said they couldn’t help her. Later on, the legal department of the above mentioned shop refused to replace or refund the equipment. Using the Law of Ukraine On Consumer Rights Protection, Victoria contacted the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and described the situation in detail, backing her argument with the articles from the Law. Her application was successful and the store contacted Victoria a few months later and suggested to replace or refund the battery and even replace the monopod for free. Based on this experience, Victoria has come to realise that the consumers in Ukraine should defend their rights more firmly as it will be likely to produce a positive result and set a precedent for the future. Some advice that could help you protect your consumer rights in future include: When purchasing a product, always ask for a receipt, especially for household appliances. Write a statement to the shop making a complaint if necessary, and only after they refuse to address your complaint, you should forward it to the State Committee for Consumer Goods. A complaint must be accompanied by a copy of your appeal to the store and their refusal, as well as a copy of the receipt. Read the full article on Novoe Vremia

At the end of last year, Victoria decided to defend her consumer rights by going to the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection after a shop that sold her a defective product refused to replace it. Victoria bought an action-camera from them along with some accessories for it. The equipment purchased did not work and didn’t come with a manual either (which in itself is a violation of consumer rights), so she had no way of knowing what to do or how to fix it. Victoria wrote a letter of complaint to the store directory asking to address the issue as the shop assistants said they couldn’t help her. Later on, the legal department of the above mentioned shop refused to replace or refund the equipment.

Using the Law of Ukraine “On Consumer Rights Protection”, Victoria contacted the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and described the situation in detail, backing her argument with the articles from the Law. Her application was successful and the store contacted Victoria a few months later and suggested to replace or refund the battery and even replace the monopod for free.

Based on this experience, Victoria has come to realise that the consumers in Ukraine should defend their rights more firmly as it will be likely to produce a positive result and set a precedent for the future. Some advice that could help you protect your consumer rights in future include:

1. When purchasing a product, always ask for a receipt, especially for household appliances.
2. Write a statement to the shop making a complaint if necessary, and only after they refuse to address your complaint, you should forward it to the State Committee for Consumer Goods. A complaint must be accompanied by a copy of your appeal to the store and their refusal, as well as a copy of the receipt.

Read the full article on Novoe Vremia