The Consumer Council of Fiji has registered 16,724 complaints with a monetary value of $32.6 million from January 2009 to June this year.
This was revealed by the Council CEO Premila Kumar at a Media Seminar on consumer protection.
Kumar says they have recovered $17.6 million by resolving 12,046 complaints.
She says consumers are often too complacent and do not pro‑actively raise issues of concern.
Kumar says empowered consumers will be able to maximize their own welfare and can easily identify the best prices and quality, and reward the most efficient operators who respond to consumer demand.
The CEO says consumer protection is of great significance both as part of a sound business approach as well as for achieving the broader goal of national economic growth.
