Happy new month y’all,
As a fashion consumer, what do you do when are not satisfied with the service or product recieved? Do you suffer in silence?
In every industry the issue of consumers not getting a good service or product has been a constant issue in the trade realm. Most consumers suffer in silence without knowing their rights. As a consumer of any product, you have rights and this rights are fully backed by the law as provided for in the Consumer Protection Council Act, under Chapter C25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The act provides for the establishment of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and empowers it to uphold these rights for every Nigerian no matter your social standing.
Under the Consumer Protection Council Act,
a consumer is an individual who purchases, uses, maintains or disposes of products or services.
Consumer protection has been defined as ‘the act of safeguarding the interests of consumers in matters relating to the supply of products and services.
It provides compensation and remedies to consumers who are harmed by the services and products of manufacturers, and it is also aimed at protecting the economic interests of consumers.
Consumers are recognised to have the following rights: the right to the satisfaction of basic needs, the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard, right to redress, the right to consumer education and the right to a healthy environment. These rights, though not expressly spelt out under our various Consumer Protection Laws, are provided for.
The law protects not just consumers of products, but also consumers of services.
In Nigeria, there is a specific body that has been set up to help consumers deal with issues where companies have either provided poor service or they have sold substandard goods to the consumer. This organization is the Consumer Protection Council – CPC
The CPC is an agency of the Government under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment. It commenced operations in Nigeria in 1999. The CPC has 5 primary functions
1. To inform consumers about their rights
2. To eliminate hazardous products from the market and ensure that products and services comply with required standards/specifications
3. To issue guidelines and regulations to producers of goods and services
4. To prosecute offenders when and where necessary.
5. To provide redress to consumer complaints
So, all in all, the CPC is a pretty powerful agency, it is in fact the most powerful consumer redress and monitoring agency in Nigeria.
if you think a company has acted unfairly toward you, you may report the company to the CPC. Examples of things you can report include:
Instances when you were misled or tricked into buying a product or service
Instances where you have been sold fake or substandard products
Instances where you have received a poor level of service
The CPC has set up an online form for consumers who want to make a complaint about a company. The information which you will have to provide are:
Name of person making the complaint
Contact Address
Contact details – Mobile number and email address
Name of the company you are complaining about
Address of the company/branch you visited
Contact details of the company
Receipt No. of Product/Service (if you have one)
Brief explanation of your complaint
Brief explanation of the outcome you want (e.g. you want a refund, you want to exchange goods etc.)
You may complete the online complaint form here – CPC Online Complaint Form . If you are not comfortable completing an online form,
The following are the various addresses of the head and regional offices of the CPC
Headquarter
Plot 1105, Dar-es-Salaam Street. Off Aminu Kano Crescent. Wuse II, Abuja. Hotlines: 08056002020, 08056003030. e-mail: contact@cpc.gov.ng
Regional Offices
Lagos Offic
No. 18 Ilupeju By-Pass, Ilupeju, Lagos
CPC North-East Zonal Office
4th Flour NICON HOUSE Bank Road, GRA, Bauchi, Bauchi State
CPC North-West Zonal Office
Justice Mamman Nasir House, Nogogo Road Katsina, Katsina State
CPC South-East Zonal Office
Opposite Government House, (Along) Onitsha Road, Anambra State
CPC South-South Zonal office
Plot F/9 Abacha Road, GRA Phase 3, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
CPC South-West Zonal office
Finance Complex State secretariat Oshogbo, Osun state
CPC North-Central Zonal office
Opp W.T.C Minna, Niger State.
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