Consumer protection is a dead letter

[NewsWhore]

The Consumer Protection Law (Law 385-05) has been a dead letter since it went into effect in September of 2005, and little has been done to protect consumers when they purchase a product. According to Listin Diario, this law was approved to protect consumers from unscrupulous traders, but it only illustrates the impotence of consumers involved in any commercial transaction. For example, Article 47 prohibits any discrimination in price or method of payment, but anyone paying with a credit card is many times obliged to pay a surcharge of between 5% and 8%. Some "special" clients only pay 3% for using credit cards. According to the newspaper, these "abuses" are most common in pharmacies, furniture stores, appliance stores and clothing stores. Sales discounts are often denied to people who pay with a credit or debit card. Consumer rights group FUNDECOM has issued a bulletin informing consumers that they do not have to pay any surcharge for using a credit card since the credit is issued by a commercial bank and not by the trader. The bulletin also reminds consumers that all "sales" are valid for cash or credit.

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