CFTC warns non-compliant traders
Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has warned of stiff penalties against traders making false advertisements or re-labelling expired and counterfeit products to deceive customers.
CFTC director of consumer welfare and education Lewis Kulisewa made the warning during a business clinic the commission held in Blantyre to sensitise business captains to the recommended trade practices.
He said CFTC has information that some traders were putting up misleading advertisements in the media while others are selling counterfeit products to dupe unsuspecting customers.
Kulisewa said CFTC will not relent in its efforts to flush out such traders from the industry.
“We are not trying to intimidate the players, but we are simply protecting consumers from deception and ill-health. We are simply enforcing the law and it is our expectation that every trader will comply.
“But those who deliberately flout the law will face the law and get stiff penalties if found guilty,” he said.
But Kulisewa stressed that the success of their initiative depends on the cooperation of the consumers and appealed for information of traders who are deliberately contravening the Consumer Protection Act.
He said the commission will soon embark on “consumer surgeries” to sensitise consumers on their rights and responsibilities before purchasing goods and services to minimise cases of abuse by traders.
