A consumer protection advocate has expressed concern over the poor state of the warranty system in the country, which is supposed to protect consumers from inferior and damaged goods.
The West Africa Regional Director of Consumer Unity and Trust Society, CUTS International, Lawyer Appiah Kusi Adomako, says consumer rights, including warranties, have become a luxury enjoyed by a few, leaving the vulnerable at the mercy of businesses when expensive products fail or do not meet the fit-for-purpose mark.
Kusi Adomako says he cannot fathom why warranties are a big deal in other countries but the same cannot be said in Ghana.
Recounting his personal experience, the consumer protection advocate narrated how he purchased a Samsung washing machine from the UK, which came with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty. However, the same product sold in Ghana came with almost no warranty.
He further recounted an incident when he purchased a 55-inch Television from a shop in Accra but it failed to work at home although it was tested at the shop. In his attempts to get a replacement, he revealed how the shop was insisting on a no-replacement policy on the basis of manufacturer defects.
“On that day, it was not an Act of Parliament or Ghana’s 1992 Constitution that saved me as a consumer. Rather, it was my profession as a lawyer that came to my aid. If this had happened to a taxi driver or the vast majority of Ghanaians (about 99.99%), the shop would have taken advantage of the unsuspecting buyer with impunity, disregarding their rights without consequence,” he narrated.
According to him, consumer rights should not only be asserted by the rich and influential in the society by every citizen.
Adding further, he said: “Daily, the rights of Ghanaian consumers are violated by businesses at will and whim. Most Ghanaians suffer what I suffered and never become successful in resolving the issue. The fact is that one does not need to be a lawyer in order to assert his or her fundamental right as a consumer. Expensive goods are sold in the country without an express warranty. When one questions the seller, the usual answer is that there is a warranty for a manufacturer’s defect.”
Lawyer Appiah Kusi Adomako is therefore urging the government to take an interest in protecting the rights of consumers through appropriate laws else businesses will continue to exploit vulnerable citizens with impunity.
With this, he is calling for an expedited action to pass the Consumer Protection Bill which will curtail all these consumer abuses.
He said, “it is the duty of the government to act and protect the interests of its citizens through relevant framework laws. The passage of the Consumer Protection Law will help empower, protect, and enhance the welfare and interest of the consumer, provide a consistent and effective consumer protection framework, prohibit certain unfair practices, improve consumer awareness, education, and information, and establish the Consumer Protection Commission.”
