Fake Samsung devices hit COVID-19 education efforts; Consumer Commission gets refunds for buyers

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2020, 17:17 by Denis Chabrol

Several stores have been selling fake Samsung tablets to people who are eager to take advantage of Online teaching-learning devices, but the  Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) says consumers have been complaining that many of the devices cannot download apps.

A CCAC spokeswoman said that regulatory agency has so far received 10 complaints and has so assisted four consumers in getting refunds. “We have approached a number of the sellers and we were able to get back some of the people’s monies,” the spokeswoman told News-Talk Radio Guyana 103.1 FM/ Demerara Waves Online News. She said the CCAC was working to resolve the six other complaints.

The CCAC is also working very closely with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

The Commission said several unscrupulous suppliers and store owners who are duping consumers with false and misleading claims
about the brands and capabilities of the devices.

“In the several cases officially reported to the Commission, the suppliers misrepresented the tablets as that of the Samsung brand with the capacity to download the apps necessary to access several of the online learning features platforms. However, the devices were unable to do so,”the CCAC said in a statement.

The consumer affairs body noted that in response to the online teaching and learning initiatives during the COVID 19 pandemic, the demand for computers, tablets and other similar devices has increased and based on the complaints being received by the Competition
and Consumer Affairs Commission.

The  CCAC again advised consumers to carefully research before they invest in the purchase of any of these devices and to buy only from reputable businesses or the official local representatives of the advertised brands. The Commission also reminded consumers tha “if you believe you have bought an item that you recognize was falsely marketed as an original brand, you are urged to make an immediate complaint to the  CCAC for redress.”

The CCAC can be contacted on telephone number 219-4410 or at ccac.gov.gy to file that complaint.

The Commission works in close collaboration to determine the authenticity of items and to apply the Consumer Affairs Act, Part 4 which addresses unfair trade practices, misleading or deceptive conduct, misleading public about the nature of  goods or services and false representation.