Do local people actually know about the Consumer Protection Act? When Grocott’s Mail asked around outside some Grahamstown shops, many people said they are unaware of it. Nontle Ponoshe has not heard about it, but says it is “wonderful” because price discrepancies have made her “go crazy” in the past.
Do local people actually know about the Consumer Protection Act? When Grocott’s Mail asked around outside some Grahamstown shops, many people said they are unaware of it. Nontle Ponoshe has not heard about it, but says it is “wonderful” because price discrepancies have made her “go crazy” in the past.
Aretha Tali was happy to hear about the Act. She had just walked out of a local supermarket without buying a toothbrush because the price at the till was higher than the price advertised on the shelf.
“It’s like they are robbing us. Most of us don’t have the patience,we just leave it there,” she said. She added that now that she knows her rights, she will return to the supermarket to “look for all their faults”.
At Pepper Grove Mall, Tariq Jameson was particularly happy to hear that shops themselves will be held more accountable.
He has argued a lot with a furniture shop about a broken headboard hidden under a cover, which the shop claimed to be the delivery people’s fault and not theirs.
He is glad that the shop will now be responsible. One consumer who had heard about the Act is Sharon Farr.
She likes the fact where the onus was on buyers to understand contracts, the seller will now have to make sure you know what you’re signing.
Farr knew more about the Act than some local businesses, many of whom had vaguely heard about it and said their superiors were more clued up.
“We are aware of it but we don’t know all the consequences,” said Pick n Pay manager Johan Pienaar. He said Pick n Pay brand had started putting ingredients on its products about a month ago, so labelling was being addressed.
As for being liable for a product fault from the supplier, he said, “I don’t think it’s fair on us. We don’t open it to test it.”
Lewis Stores manager Sandra Beer has read about the Act, but is not too worried about it. She said that head office would implement changes, as they have done with the Credit Act.
Not all furniture has the place of origin on their labels at the moment. “We’ll deal with it as it comes along. People just mustn’t be totally irrational, but we’ll deal with it accordingly,” said Beer.
But Rhodes University Law Clinic candidate attorney Johan Barnard is worried that people don’t know about the Act, and said its impact is going to be “huge”.
