Saturday 29 October 2022

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my refund?

Hello sir. I bought an SSD for P400 from a technician. Upon buying it I got to test it at home and found out it does not work. That was two weeks back and he has been saying he will refund or give me another one for two weeks. Kindly help me sir.


Let's start with the basics. Section 15 (1) of the Consumer Protection Act says that a consumer "has the right to receive goods which are of good quality, in good working order and free of defects". Section 16 of the Act says that if the goods fail this test within 6 months, the consumer may return the goods for a replacement, repair or a refund. In this case it was quite simple, this guy offered you a refund. So far, so good.

However, as often happens, he let you down. Despite promising you the refund, he's now spent three weeks wasting your time with empty promises.

I contacted the guy and to begin with he was helpful. He told me a long story about his problems with his supplier, the items he'd supplied you in the past and something about the compatibility of the SSD he sold you. He finished by saying that he would "give him cash before Wednesday next week". I asked him if was certain of that and he was very clear. "Yes", he said.

That was two weeks ago. Nothing has happened yet.

His latest approach is to refuse to believe it's me he talking to. Am I really the Richard in The Voice? Perhaps I'm an imposter? No, I hope he now knows this is the real me.

Let's hope he can find the P400 that he owes you soon? Otherwise I suspect he's not going to have many customers left.

Will they fix my shoes?

I bought shoes at a store at Game City on the 19th of June 2022 amounting to P2,300. I only started wearing the shoe on the 27th of June 2022. I then realized on the 13th of September that the shoe was tearing on the side. I then contacted them in what I presented as a complaint for a possible refund or replacement. The shop Manager got my contacts and advised me that she would get in touch with her supervisors and give feedback. I could pick from her attitude towards my complaint that I was not going to get a satisfactory answer.

A day after she sends me a WhatsApp message telling me her supervisors have come back to say there is nothing they can assist me with because their return policy provides that an item can only be returned within 7 days. I reasoned to her and she bluntly refused and advised me to take the matter up with anyone who can assist me. I am here feeling robbed that a shoe costing P2,300 should not display the characteristics of the one I got. I kindly request for your assistance regarding this matter.


This one is simple.

I've heard this story many times before. A consumer buys shoes from a store and very quickly there's a problem. However, the store refuses to accept any responsibility and says nothing can be done. Sometimes they blame their customer for damaging the shoes.

Of course it's possible that some consumers DO damage their shoes. It's possible. However, in every case I've heard I've believed the consumers.

The secret is to bypass the store completely. I'll get in touch with the manufacturers themselves. They have a reputation to consider and they'll protect it like they'd protect their baby. I'm confident that they'll help you out. I'm also confident they'll be speaking to the store and encouraging them to treat their customers a little better.

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