Consumer competency level is improving, authorities say

The level of consumer competency in Moldova is improving, stated Maria Bizgu, department head at the Metrology and Standardization Service (MSS), at a national conference organized on Friday ahead of the World Consumer Rights Day, observed yearly on March 15. Bizgu said she convinced herself of that fact during the Consumers’ Week, launched by MSS and conducted throughout the country through various events attended by both goods & service providers and consumers. While five years ago when, the Consumer Protection Law was adopted, the MSS was receiving just a few complaints from consumers informing about faulty goods or unsatisfactory services, last year the number of complaints rose to about 300. Some other 2,000 complaints were made by phone at the consumer protection hotline 74-14-64. At the same time, the first nongovernmental organizations dealing with consumer rights’ protection have emerged, as 10 such watchdogs are registered at present in Moldova. Denis Starish, chairman of the Consumer Rights’ Protection Center, says it is very important for the consumers who think their rights have been violated to know where they can get support and instructions from, advising them to put their complaints in writing for proper investigation. He noted that a half of about 200 complaints filed with the Center were satisfied without resorting to court. The mechanism established by the legislation for settling disputes resulting from violations of consumer rights may prove effective, provided that this mechanism is known, understood and applied by consumers, said Starish. Octavian Calmic, the head of the commercial policy department of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, informed about the provisions of the National Strategy for Consumer Protection covering the period 2008-2012, which, according to him, meets the demands of the Moldovan consumers, being aligned at the same time with the EU Consumer Policy Strategy. Consumer protective measures should not limit though the business initiative and lead to unjustified inspections and overregulation. Balancing the interests of these two sides is a crucial factor for development and economic growth. First observed on 15 March 1983, the World Consumer Rights Day is now an annual occasion for action, solidarity and celebration within the international consumer movement. It commemorates a historical declaration of four basic human rights made by US President John F. Kennedy in 1962 - the right to safety, to be informed, to choose and to be heard. Consumers International, the global consumers' organization, added four more rights the recent years – the right to satisfaction of basic needs, to redress, to education and to a healthy environment. The theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day is Junk Food Generation - a campaign to stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children.