The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has urged Palaweño consumers to file formal complaints against erring online sellers or e-commerce to resolve their concerns.
DTI Palawan specialist Welson Paz said this week that they already received two complaints regarding a popular online selling store from two residents of Coron who experienced “failure of delivery, and delivery of the wrong item”.
“Sa ating mga consumers na tingin nila ay na-violate ang kanilang karapatan, puwede sila mag-file ng formal consumer complaint sa DTI or any agency na sa kanya ang jurisdiction sa produkto. ‘Yon ay nakapaloob sa ating Consumer Act of the Philippines. Ang process natin doon sa consumers’ complaints ay papasok sa mediation and arbitration,” he said.
Paz did not disclose the name of the online shopping store.
In 2018, Paz said that the DTI recorded four complaints against the same online shopping site.
He said that the number of complainants was few, but there are those who just chose to settle their issues than to file formal consumer complaints to the DTI.
“Nagkaka-problema lang sila minsan sa courier, kaya parang may problema ‘yong online shopping site at ‘yong courier, hindi agad na-deliver o namali ‘yong padala. Like sa booking naman, taga-dito pero ‘yong nakipag-transact siya sa Manila, ‘yon ang natanggap namin na complaint,” Paz added.
DTI will do the mediation and arbitration services between the respondent and complainant to resolve the issue filed.
Paz said that once the consumer files a complaint, the agency will inform the respondent through a notice of mediation which will take three days before the scheduled meeting to discuss the issue for settlement.
If the two parties agreed to settle the issue, the DTI will call it as “affirmed” which means the complaint is already solved and they do not have to appear in DTI.
“Kapag hindi pa rin na-settle, pupunta sila sa DTI at magkakaroon ng mediation, kapag sa third meeting ay wala pa napagkasunduan, i-endose na ito sa provincial director or sa regional director doon na malalaman kung sino ang tama,” he pointed out.
Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines speeds up the process of settling the issue of the consumer and to lessen the expenses of filing complaint, Paz said.
