Consumer council sparks suspicion

Consumer council sparks suspicion

Watchdog calls some applications 'strange'

A consumer watchdog has raised concerns over the authenticity of a number of organisations which have applied for the right to form a consumer council.

Saree Aongsomwang, secretary-general of the Foundation for Consumers, said a number of these registered organisations looked "strange" although she stopped short of directly suggesting they may be nominees for other parties.

The consumer council should be free from interference by either the government or businesses as it is designed to be a public body that works to protect consumer rights, she said.

The council is intended as a new mechanism to work alongside the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) to better protect consumer rights, said Prime Minister's Office Minister Tewan Liptapallop, who supervises the OCPB.

The formation of the council was mandated under the new 2019 Consumer Protection Act, which took effect yesterday.

Mr Tewan, however, played down Ms Saree's worries, saying each of these organisations is required to prove they have at least two years of experience in the field of consumer protection.

The newly amended law is designed to put in place legal mechanisms to ensure faster and better protection for consumers, particularly now online shopping has become so prevalent, said the minister.

Over 5,000 consumer complaints were lodged with the OCPB last year, many of which dealt with the quality of products purchased over the internet, said Mr Tewan.

He said he himself has been a victim of misleading advertising after purchasing an electric car that was advertised with a range of 35 kilometres per charge.

In reality, he said, it could only manage 12km.

He learned only later that the claimed maximum was only possible if the car's air-conditioning system was turned off while driving, he said. That's not practical in a hot climate, but they made the claim regardless.

The new law raises the maximum fine for misleading advertising from 50,000 baht to 100,000 baht and authorises the OCPB to immediately suspend any advertisement suspected to be misleading or untrue, he said.

Meanwhile, the Trade Competition Commission is expected to issue new guidelines for franchising businesses.

The draft announcement is undergoing hearings and if no major change is required, it is expected to be announced in the Royal Gazette and come into effect soon, said Santichai Santhawanphaet, a member of the commission.

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