Consumer Council releases issue no. 258 Consumer Report

Consumer Council's latest issue no. 258 Consumer Report is now available and a review on all the cases handled last year (2014) is included. The Council handled almost 7,000 cases last year and the total amount of claims involved exceeds 90 million patacas. For the 1,668 complaint cases, a settlement rate of 96 percent has been reached.
The Council handled a total number of 6,981 cases in 2014. Among all these cases, 1,668 are complaints with a settlement rate of 96 percent, 5,250 enquiries and 63 suggestions. The total amount of money involved exceeds 90 million patacas, which is about double of that of 2013. Among all these claims, about 8 million patacas are related to tourists' spending, which is about 10 percent of the yearly total amount.
The top 5 categories of complaints are telecommunication services (220 cases), telecommunication products (208 cases), food & beverages (121 cases), electrical products (113 cases), and public transportation (87 cases). The total number of complaint cases of these 5 categories amounts to 749 cases, which is 45 percent of the total complaint cases received in 2014. The number of telecommunication services cases has increased by about 5 percent compared to the number of 2013. Among the 220 cases lodged, 113 are related to 3G mobile phone service charges and trade practices of telecommunication service providers. The number of telecommunication products cases (208 cases) has increased by 3.5 percent compared to the previous year in which 22 cases involves the selling prices of mobile phones. Other categories with obvious increase include taxi services, jewelry & ornaments, aviation services, etc. Meanwhile, categories such as photographic equipment, real estate and computer products, which were all commonly seen with complaints, recorded decrease in the number of complaint cases in 2014.
The number of complaints and enquiries lodged by tourists are 443 and 503 respectively, which leads to a total of 946 cases. The top 5 categories among those cases includes telecommunication products (109 cases), jewelry & ornaments (57 cases), watches (53 cases), clothing & apparel (35 cases), and food & beverages (30 cases). These 5 categories amounts to 284 complaint cases, which is about 64 percent of the total number of tourists' complaints.
A detail analysis and highlights of complaint cases of 2014 are included in Consumer Report issue no. 258, the Council reminds consumers to compare prices of products and services prior to making purchase, and ask for the relevant receipt to safeguard consumers' own rights to claim; meanwhile, traders are requested to adopt good trade practices, which include the labeling of prices of products and services, and the provision of a clear and understandable contract for the transaction. The Council conducted a test on the efficiency and quality of 10 brands of dishwashing detergents. All the samples passed the quoted standard. Consumers may refer to the latest issue of Consumer Report for details.
Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the Consumer Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the magazine online on the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315. The above article can be downloaded at http://www.consumer.gov.mo/c/ccnews.asp