Provincial Consumer rights' protection association contributes to removing worries

 During the third tenure (2015-2020), Provincial Consumer rights' protection association (CRPA) carried out many practical and effective activities. Thereby, consumers' interests were promptly and reasonably protected, contributing to building a healthy and equal production and business environment, helping many businesses to develop sustainably.

Provincial CRPA regularly propagates, inspects and monitors business activities in markets.

 Many practical activities

Protecting consumers' legitimate interests in commercial activities is also protecting legitimate interests of production and business establishments. During the past tenure, the consumer rights' protection work gained good results in many aspects. Executive Committee of Provincial CRPA informed and encouraged members at enterprises, administrative agencies, and unions to enhance popularization of laws and regulations regularly and deeply.  On the other hand, in seminars, trainings, contests, branches particularized contents through various and easy-to-understand communication forms, such as Q&A contest, poetry and singing performance, skits. In addition, every year, Vietnam consumers' rights day (March 15) is organizes with various activities. Since then, contributing to improving legal awareness, self-protection, and participation in the fight against violations of consumer's rights protection.

Annually, the Association cooperates with provincial Market Management Office to hold displays of authentic goods, fake products, and samples of products related to daily life, such as household appliances, food, cosmetics... Visitors are able to see authentic and fake products for themselves, are instructed by professional staff to recognize and distinguish authentic and fake products as well as tricks of producing and trading counterfeit goods, infringement of intellectual property rights... It helps to improve people's knowledge and consumption skills.

In addition the dissemination, branches of the association also collaborated with the authorities to inspect and control conditional business activities, provide information and instruction on fighting against counterfeit goods, settling complaints and reports of consumers... Since then, the results of handling administrative violations each year have increased in the number of cases, fines, and confiscated or destroyed goods. Over five years (2015-2020), 27,500 cases were handled, VND1,750 billion of fines collected to the State budget; of which, 800 cases of counterfeiting, 4,700 cases of smuggling, tax evasion, and 22,000 illegal business cases.

Nguyen Van Ban, Chairman of Provincial CRPA, said that thanks to good propagation, the association solved timely many problems as well as helped consumers well recognize and report violations to the authorities. During the term, Provincial CRPA received 115 reports, in which over 95% were accurate information on illegal business activities, incorrect measurement, quality of gasoline, foods containing banned substances...  Most complaints were resolved quickly, consumer's interests and rights were defended.

To heighten protection ability

With the enthusiastic participation of civil servants from province to grassroots level, Provincial CRPA is the anchor for the protection of legitimate consumer's rights. The timely presence of the association helped businesses and consumers to understand and comply with laws, contribute to building commercial civilization practices, motivating the participation of authorities. This also encouraged enterprises to do business seriously, while helping consumers to better understand their own rights, have stronger confidence in social organizations that support and protect their legitimate interests...

Provincial CRPA set out 6 goals and 8 main solutions. In particular, to continue disseminate more widely about Law on consumer's rights protection on main roads, conventional markets, supermarkets across the province. meanwhile strengthening supervision of production and business establishments implementing food quality, food safety and hygiene; improving the activity quality of groups and clubs to increase the results of consumer's rights protection in a more practical and effective way.

Reported by Thanh Hong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh