THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded telecommunication companies to remove the unlawful expiry periods on their cellular-phone prepaid load cards.
In an interview after the budget deliberation of the DTI last Friday, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the expiry periods for gift certificates (GCs) have already been removed by some business establishments. He said they will now direct telcos to do the same.
“Business establishments have already removed the expiry periods for [GCs]. Now, we will tell the telco to follow and remove the expiry dates for cell-phone pre-paid load cards…in principle, you already paid that,” he said.
Lopez said putting unlawful limits on the warranty for purchased items and setting unreasonable expiration dates for prepaid GCs rank high among the consumer-rights items often violated by business establishments.
Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy of Bagong Henerasyon said violation of consumer rights by various establishments, including operators of shopping malls, remain rampant in the country.
The lawmaker added certain department stores and supermarkets continue to set effectivity period for gift checks or certificates bought by consumers for future purchases.
She also said various appliance and electronics gadget stores, mostly retailers of computers and peripherals, also unlawfully limit “no return, no exchange” deals to just seven days after the purchase.
“These exploitative establishments shortchange our consumers who are mostly unaware of their rights under the law,”
Herrera-Dy said.
Herrera-Dy also demanded “strong and swift” government action to curtail, if not totally eradicate, such abuses.
She also called on fellow legislators to help the DTI carry out an information campaign to make their constituents aware of consumer rights.
Lopez said the department’s Consumer Protection Group has been closely monitoring business establishments that have previously been assailed for violating consumer-rights laws.
Lopez, during the budget deliberation, also told members of the House of Representatives that the business community is generally supportive of President Duterte’s war versus illegal drugs, with investors’ confidence in the Philippines soaring amid the bloody campaign.
The DTI is seeking the approval of its P4.9-billion proposed 2017 budget.
Lopez said the campaign of the government against illegal drugs is well received by the business sector.
1 comment
About time.
I find that removing the expiry dates on prepaid cards is more important than bringing down the call and text charges.
Should not stop there, there should be no expiry on prepaid loads regardless of amount.
While I do not like Globe and Smart for their lousy services, subscribers tend to abuse and overload their networks with needless texting and calling and Facebook-ing.