By Chester Robards Senior Business Reporter
Copyright thenassauguardian
The Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) received 190 complaints from January to August of this year so far, CPC Chairman Senator Randy Rolle said yesterday.
Rolle, who made the remarks at the Abaco Business Outlook, said of those 190 complaints, 153 were formal disputes, 25 were advisory inquiries, and 12 were referrals to other agencies.
He explained that 82 of those complaints have already been resolved, with another 71 currently under investigation.
“We expect our resolution rate to significantly increase this year,” said Rolle.
“This shows we are not just receiving complaints, we are actually solving them in real time.”
Rolle also explained that the CPC received 151 complaints in 2023 and 444 complaints in 2024.
He revealed that the most common complaints from consumers were directed towards beauty supply stores, contractors, grocery stores, and auto part stores.
Rolle said shipping and courier companies had the highest number of complaints in 2024, but these have slightly declined this year.
According to Rolle, the most common complaints leveled against businesses were overcharging or hidden fees from restocking charges; credit card charges; undelivered or underdelivered goods; expired items shipped to the Family Islands; damaged products and poor service.
He said the CPC’s mobile app will help to give consumers a more convenient way to lodge complaints.
“We are currently developing a mobile app that will allow Bahamians, whether in Abaco, Inagua, or Nassau to file complaints and track cases easily from their phones,” said Rolle.
“This app will be a game changer in terms of bringing consumer protection into the digital age.
“We also see this as an effective method to drive two-way accountability, by ensuring consumers are informed, have a place for redress, and owners are culpable for the services they provided. Currently, this process is done traditionally through email, calling and social media reporting.”
He said the CPC will continually engage with business owners through a combination of education, enforcement, collaboration and public outreach.
