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Minister Saunders assures Consumer Protection Laws will protect Public’s Good
#TurksandCaicos, November 16, 2021 – Minister of Finance. Honourable E. J. Saunders said the Government will do more than look on while merchants and other businesspersons engage in price gauging, which has been hurting much of the population.
He said already, the administration can rely on powers of the Department of Trade, Industry and Consumer Protection, to protect the public’s good, and ensure that no one profits unfairly from the crisis brought on by the COVID-9 pandemic.
“We are not prepared to sit around and watch any price gouging. We are taking consumer protection very seriously,
Minister Saunders added that the practice will be looked at further, and once it is fixed, “it will drive down your cost of living, and increase your quality of life,” he told a recent press conference.
The TCI House of Assembly passed the Ordinance for consumer protection in 2016, and was subsequently amended and entered into force on 24 February 2020. The objective of the Ordinance is to make provision for the protection of consumer interests in relation to the supply of goods and services. The Department is also tasked with ensuring the rights of consumers, fair trade, competition and the dissemination of accurate information in the marketplace.
There is currently no law to regulate the prices at which goods or services are sold in the Turks and Caicos Islands, however, persons who have been adversely affected in relation to the purchase of goods or services may submit a complaint to the Department of Trade, Industry and Consumer Affairs. The complaint should be submitted using the Consumer Complaints Form accessible on the Department website.
The Ordinance sets out the rights of every consumer of goods and services in the TCI, and it broadly refers to five core rights: the Right to Safety, the Right to Information, the Right to Redress, the Right to Consumer Education and the Right to a Healthy Environment.