"Govt may appoint agency to investigate unfair trading practices, errant retailers - CNA 19 January 2015
SINGAPORE: The Government will study the option of appointing an agency to investigate unfair trading practices and take action against errant retailers.
This is part of a review of existing legislation aimed at speeding up action against unfair trading practices and errant retailers, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said in Parliament on Monday (Jan 19).
“The Government will review the legislation to strengthen the provisions so that quicker action can be taken to deter unfair trading practices, and prevent errant retailers from side-stepping restrictions under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act by forming new companies," he said.
“We will study the option of appointing an agency to undertake the investigation and enforcement functions.”
He was responding to questions by several Members of Parliament, including Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms Denise Phua, on the steps the Government is taking following the high-profile cases involving errant retailers in Sim Lim Square last year.
Currently, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) handles the majority of consumer complaints, which are resolved through discussion or mediation between the parties, Mr Teo said.
Alternatively, consumers would approach the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT) to seek monetary compensation.
Mr Teo noted that, over the past three years, CASE has received about 2,000 complaints against retailers from Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza and People’s Park Centre, of which 1,400 cases have been mediated.
“The Government will work with CASE and SCT to streamline the existing claims process so that quicker action is taken to help consumers obtain compensation. We will also review the relevant legislation to strengthen the enforceability of rulings by SCT,” he said.
The review is expected to be completed by the middle of this year."
Let's be VERY CAREFUL before we get into a BIG GOVERNMENT as if it is NOT already pretty big for a tiny Red Dot!!
Lessons for me are:
1. can the police NOT handle such cases?;
2. are retails issues so complex that we need to set up a special agency to investigate abuses of the type revealed in the recent shameful Sim Lim Square saga, where the whole world got to know about it?;
3. the issues, as pointed by many ordinary people after the SLS saga, have been around for a while so it may be seen to be inefficiency if the public have to wait for another half year for the authorities to study the issues.
Whatever it may be, I sincerely hope that we will not have to set up a separate agency to deal with errant, and abusive, retailers since we have the SPF, the CASE and the SCT firmly established for a while now. Let's know have the controversial 'Metropolis Services Office' episode repeating as some quarters were not too impressed with that particular move as they see it as a regression. That the so-called centralised office was set up just because the various existing agencies could not resolve the responsibilities among themselves instead of one of them going the 'extra mile', something that the government had been exhorting people to do, to just solve the problem!
SINGAPORE: The Government will study the option of appointing an agency to investigate unfair trading practices and take action against errant retailers.
This is part of a review of existing legislation aimed at speeding up action against unfair trading practices and errant retailers, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said in Parliament on Monday (Jan 19).
“The Government will review the legislation to strengthen the provisions so that quicker action can be taken to deter unfair trading practices, and prevent errant retailers from side-stepping restrictions under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act by forming new companies," he said.
“We will study the option of appointing an agency to undertake the investigation and enforcement functions.”
He was responding to questions by several Members of Parliament, including Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms Denise Phua, on the steps the Government is taking following the high-profile cases involving errant retailers in Sim Lim Square last year.
Currently, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) handles the majority of consumer complaints, which are resolved through discussion or mediation between the parties, Mr Teo said.
Alternatively, consumers would approach the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT) to seek monetary compensation.
Mr Teo noted that, over the past three years, CASE has received about 2,000 complaints against retailers from Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza and People’s Park Centre, of which 1,400 cases have been mediated.
“The Government will work with CASE and SCT to streamline the existing claims process so that quicker action is taken to help consumers obtain compensation. We will also review the relevant legislation to strengthen the enforceability of rulings by SCT,” he said.
The review is expected to be completed by the middle of this year."
Let's be VERY CAREFUL before we get into a BIG GOVERNMENT as if it is NOT already pretty big for a tiny Red Dot!!
Lessons for me are:
1. can the police NOT handle such cases?;
2. are retails issues so complex that we need to set up a special agency to investigate abuses of the type revealed in the recent shameful Sim Lim Square saga, where the whole world got to know about it?;
3. the issues, as pointed by many ordinary people after the SLS saga, have been around for a while so it may be seen to be inefficiency if the public have to wait for another half year for the authorities to study the issues.
Whatever it may be, I sincerely hope that we will not have to set up a separate agency to deal with errant, and abusive, retailers since we have the SPF, the CASE and the SCT firmly established for a while now. Let's know have the controversial 'Metropolis Services Office' episode repeating as some quarters were not too impressed with that particular move as they see it as a regression. That the so-called centralised office was set up just because the various existing agencies could not resolve the responsibilities among themselves instead of one of them going the 'extra mile', something that the government had been exhorting people to do, to just solve the problem!
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