United News of Bangladesh

The Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP) will be strengthened in terms of technology, manpower and institutional capacity to ensure people's right to safe, pure and quality products, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said on Thursday. Muktadir was speaking as chief guest at a views exchange meeting with officials at the DNCRP conference room. The minister said ensuring that no one is forced to buy adulterated, substandard or harmful products with their hard-earned money is an important responsibility of the state, adding that the department has a crucial role in protecting the consumer rights of the country's 170-180 million people. He said training, manpower expansion, and greater use of modern equipment and technology would be undertaken to make the department more modern and effective. “Existing services will also be gradually brought onto digital platforms.” The size or reputation of an institution matters less than the real impact of its work on people's lives, the minister said, noting that the DNCRP's work carries significant importance in that regard. To draw on international experience, the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) will be engaged to conduct research on the structure, manpower and service activities of consumer rights protection organisations in various countries, Muktadir said. He said the department's activities would be further expanded and made more people-friendly in light of the research recommendations, adding that a number of new initiatives would be taken soon to make DNCRP's services more accessible and effective for consumers. The meeting discussed the department's ongoing activities, use of technology, manpower structure, future plans, and ways to make consumer services simpler and more effective.

Businesses lead the economy to prosperity by creating new products or services in the country. In the same way, due to irregularities and immorality, consumers get cheated by buying faulty services or products. There are some specific policies for companies, sellers and service providers. The National Consumer Rights Act of Bangladesh monitors whether the consumers get the right products and services. As Bangladeshi citizens, the consumers will be able to lodge a complaint as per the law if they fall victim to any fraudulence. Let’s get to know the procedure for filing a complaint under Bangladesh’s National Consumer Rights Act if you get any faulty product and service. The Procedure for Complaints under the National Consumer Rights Act Assembling appropriate evidence Before filing a complaint, the complainant has to gather accurate evidence in support of the complaint. Receipt of purchasing goods or services must be given as an attachment to the complaint letter. In addition to this, a picture of the product and the store can also be given. Complaint form fill up First, the complainant needs to download the complaint form from the National Consumer Complaints Center box on the website of the National Consumer Rights Protection Department. Then he/she has to print the form and write the name of the district in the blank space of the recipient part.  Read AL profiteers’ foul play behind rice price hike: BNP After that, it is time to write the details of the complaint in the correct way. Complete information of the complainant along with the name of the parents should be mentioned. In this part, it is advisable to give the mobile number of the complainant.  Finally, the complainant needs to include the full name and address of the accused person or organization in the form. Now the previously collected product purchase receipt needs to be added to this form. Where to complain about getting cheated buying a faulty product or service The complainant has to go directly to the TCB (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) building at Kawran Bazar with the completed form with attachments. Complaints are lodged in the office of the Assistant Director on the eighth floor. Complaints can also be lodged to the district magistrate. These submitted complaint forms are later forwarded to the Head of the Department.  Read 3 cops closed in Feni after complaint of mugging trader Fees It should be noted that no fee is required for filing a complaint under National Consumer Rights Act of Bangladesh when you get cheated purchasing any defective product and service. Complaint Settlement After filing the complaint, a case number will be given by the department. Then a letter will be sent to the complainant's address for a hearing within a month. Subsequently, the accused is fined and the punishment was meted out after verifying the allegations. 25 percent of the accrued fine is paid to the complainant. Read Following complaints, ACC launches drive against Jibon Bima MD How to complain online about getting cheated to buy a product Preparing documents for attachment Necessary evidence including the signature of the complainant and receipt of purchase of the product or service should be scanned or photographed and stored on the computer. Registering on the ‘My Gov’ website For online complaints, the complainant needs to navigate to the National Consumer Rights Complaints Service page of the MyGov website. It is required to register with the name and mobile number or email ID of the complainant. Once the registration is complete, the complainant can easily log in to his/her newly created account. Read BIWTA suspends operation of Surovi-9, lodges complaint against manager-staff Online form fill up for complaints Clicking on the new application from the menu displayed on the left side of the complainant's profile page, the system will show the web page of the national consumer complaint form. Here the complainant has to type his/her name, address, occupation, and parent's name. Now the most important thing is to describe the complaint. After that, the name and address of the accused organization are needed to enter. Uploading attachments and filing the complaint Now the picture of the signature previously saved on the computer needs to be attached by clicking on the small button next to the complainant's name. The last part is to upload other proofs including pictures of product purchase receipts. Through clicking on the ‘Submit’ button below, the complaint submission process will be completed. Read NBR chairman asks businesses to come directly with any complaints Terms of complaints The complaint must be submitted to the Director-General of the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate or the officer in charge within thirty days of the occurrence of the relevant cause. Otherwise, the allegation will be dismissed. If the complainant is an officer of the department, he/she will not get 25 percent of the fine collected from the accused person or organization. Other means of filing the complaints Consumers can complain by fax, email, or even phone if they are being harassed when buying a product or service. The contact numbers are 0255013218 and 01777753668. They can be emailed at [email protected]. Complaints can also be lodged by calling the Consumer Hotline 16121. Read Police instructed not to impede good-laden vehicles without specific reason or complaint Bottom line Complaints under the National Consumer Rights Act of Bangladesh are indicative of the practice of democracy by every citizen. Unscrupulous businesses try to impose defective products on them by abusing the basic needs of the people. This often leads to harassment with the purchased product instead of spending the extra money. This is not only a violation of the basic rights of the people but also hampering their money and time. Proper and proactive implementation of the already defined Act can protect the people from this hassle.