Join hands to protect consumer rights

In order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, while maintaining a healthy business environment and stabilizing the market, recently, departments, branches and member units of the Provincial Association for Consumer Rights Protection (CPPR) have actively participated and carried out practical activities.

Market management forces regularly monitor and inspect business activities, fight smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, and protect consumer rights.

With the determination to not let consumers "lose money and suffer" because of buying and using smuggled, fake, counterfeit, and poor quality goods, the Provincial Market Management Department - the standing agency of the Provincial Consumer Protection Association - has increased inspection and handling of violations.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghien, Director of the Provincial Market Management Department, said: The task of inspecting and controlling the transportation and trade of smuggled goods, banned goods, production and trading of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, intellectual property violations, and goods violating food hygiene and safety is always the top priority of the Department. Last year, we organized 899 inspections, discovered and handled 656 violations, with a total amount of money collected for the state budget of more than 3.6 billion VND. The market management force confiscated and destroyed thousands of products with evidence of violations such as confectionery, cigarettes, cosmetics, motorcycle parts, watches, clothes, and shoes of all kinds with a total value of nearly 500 million VND. We also propagated and distributed 8,000 leaflets to disseminate and educate the law on the rights and obligations of organizations and individuals in protecting consumer rights; guide, advise, support, and advise people to recognize and distinguish between genuine and fake goods, as well as the methods of producing and trading fake goods, poor quality goods, goods that violate intellectual property rights, and goods that do not ensure food safety and hygiene.

In recent times, the Department of Industry and Trade has made efforts to implement solutions to stabilize the market: ensuring sufficient supply of goods, preventing speculation, hoarding, hoarding, and illegal price increases. The Department has also mobilized forces to inspect and control conditional business activities and counterfeit goods, provide information and guidance, handle anti-counterfeiting, and guide the Provincial Consumer Protection Association to resolve complaints and denunciations from consumers.

Ms. To Thi Huong Lan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Chairwoman of the Provincial Consumer Protection Association, said: In 2023, the Department of Industry and Trade received 2,700 notices and promotional programs from businesses and business establishments, and at the same time monitored a number of promotional programs. The Department has implemented a concentrated promotional month program in the province, bringing practical benefits to consumers.

The Department of Industry and Trade has built 7 Vietnamese sales points in the districts to help protect consumer rights. In the photo: Vietnamese sales point at Phu Son business establishment, Hung Ha district.

Faced with the trend of goods on the market being increasingly diverse and abundant in both quantity and type, in order to closely manage and monitor the quality of products and services, the Department of Standards and Quality Measurement (Department of Science and Technology) regularly conducts market surveys, conducts sampling to evaluate the quality of products and goods of all kinds: confectionery, beer, wine, soft drinks, milk, electrical and electronic equipment, gasoline, oil, food containers, thereby promptly detecting violations and correcting and handling them. The Department coordinates with competent authorities to organize inspections and checks on standards and quality measurements for product groups: gasoline, oil, gold, silver in production and circulation on the market.

To help women become "smart consumers", in recent years, the Provincial Women's Union has directed all levels of the union to proactively coordinate with the Fatherland Front, sectors, organizations and enterprises to promote propaganda to raise awareness for members, women and people about consumer protection. Women actively participate in the program of bringing Vietnamese goods to the countryside, opening women's stalls with the criteria of "Safe - delicious - healthy - convenient" to serve the people, also contributing to preventing smuggled, fake and poor quality goods from circulating in the market.

The Provincial Consumer Protection Association currently has 175 members. In addition to state management agencies and organizations, businesses also enthusiastically participate and respond to Consumer Protection in many forms. Member businesses proactively improve, enhance quality, design, reduce product costs, and implement promotional programs in many diverse forms. During peak periods, each business prepares an abundant supply of goods, avoiding shortages that lead to price fluctuations and market disruption.

Ms. Dinh Thi Hong Thanh, Director of Go! Thai Binh Supermarket said: We always strictly follow the regulations on sales time; maintain about 40,000 product codes with a large enough output to meet the consumption needs of the people and have a suitable import plan to ensure quality and avoid local shortages during peak periods. Every month, the supermarket has promotional programs to stimulate consumption, bringing shopping opportunities and many practical benefits to consumers.

Khac Duan

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