The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said that the Commission treats consumer complaints from all sectors of the economy.
The Acting Director of Legal Services at the FCCPC, Mr Tam Tam, said the Commission encourages consumers to seek redress first from the primary service provider or sales agent and if this fails, the complaint should be forwarded to the regulator of the sector if it has a complaint redress mandate.
However, Tam said if the regulator fails to address the complaints, it should then be forwarded to the FCCPC for action.
He added that despite this, it does not in any way discourage consumers from directly contacting FCCPC with their complaints.
On how the Commission treats consumer complaints, details sourced from FCCPC read thus: “Using different mechanisms, the Commission resolves complaints that are filed with it. Usually, consumer grievances and dissatisfaction are filed with the Commission as ‘Complaints’. The Commission receives these complaints in diverse ways including online, in person, in writing, and multiple social media platforms.”
FCCPC stated that most complaints are resolved using one or more of the Commission’s resolution tools, such as direct engagement, negotiations, mediation, conciliation, investigations, administrative hearings and collaboration with other regulators. Investigations and hearings usually occur when a market intervention becomes compelling, or conduct is egregious or indicative of a pattern or widespread infraction.
