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New law to bring accountability
Customers can now sue merchants for damages if they're sold fake or out-of-date products thanks to the Law on Quality of Products and Goods which came into effect on Tuesday.
Deputy Head of the Bureau for Civil Economic and Commercial Laws of the Ministry of Justice's Institute of Legal Sciences Nguyen Van Cuong said that the law, would contribute to protecting consumers by ensuring that the information on packaging is accurate, and the quality of goods from production, through to retail is up to required standards.
The law contains 13 prohibitions including banning people from importing or exporting goods of unsubstantiated origin, outlawing the use of low-quality and out-of-date foods and pharmaceutical products as donations, and forcing transparency of information to protect against goods deemed unsafe for humans, animals, plants, property and the environment.
The law is now in effect but many wonder how effectively it will be implemented in a nation where many customers purchase inferior quality goods on a daily basis.
Bui Thi Khuynh, a sixty-year-old woman in Thanh Xuan District, is one of many who have on numerous occasions bought pork and beef from markets which proved unfit for human consumption; she has never been compensated.
"I lost money but the sellers lost my trust," Khuynh said, "I'm very angry but I don't know how to do."
Nguyen Thanh Ha, a resident in Lo Duc Street, only shops in select locations she trusts.
"Many goods are almost identical and it's hard to know which are genuine; that's why I have to believe the shopkeepers," said Ha.
According to Ha, she once bought ten tins of yoghurt from a trusted store without noticing it was out of date. "My children got stomach-aches after drinking the yoghurt but I let it go and simply became more vigilant," Ha said.
Ha is one of many people who have no choice but to hope the vendors are honest people. According to the new law, Khuynh and Ha now have right to sue for compensation.
According to article 58 of the law however, consumers who wish to sue will bear the costs of taking samples, testing and appraising the quality of products before their lawsuits, and would only be recompensed if they win.
Deputy Director Son said not everyone could afford, or would be willing to go through the costly process of a lawsuit.
"The law would be more effective if people were better informed. I think it will take a long time for people to understand the law and realise they have rights," said Son.
According to the Market Watch Department, the number of fake and low-quality goods increases every year. Nearly 65,000 violations were discovered nationwide in 2007, about 5,000 higher than in 2005.
VNN
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