In response to a query from reader Joshuariza Saguran, director Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection explained how complaints filed with the agency were handled.
Dimagiba said, upon receipt of a complaint, the DTI would send notices of mediation to parties involved. Mediation is supposed to be conducted within five days. He said DTI made every effort to resolve the issue during the mediation process to save the complainant time and expense.
If the parties fail to reach an agreement during the mediation stage, the case is submitted for arbitration, with both parties required to submit their position papers. A decision is then rendered by the arbiter. The whole process, from receipt of the complaint to the arbitration decision, should ideally last only 20 days.
As to what consumers should do if they found the product they bought was defective, Dimagiba said, under Article 100 of the Consumer Act of the Philippines, they could ask the commercial establishment to repair or replace the item or refund the money they paid. The consumer could file a complaint with DTI if the establishment fails to act on the matter.
But Dimagiba stressed that the provision would not apply in cases where the customer simply changed his/her mind and did not want the item bought anymore.
He said, under the Consumer Act, the warranty on products and services should not be less than 60 days.
Buying Pinoy
It is nice to know young Filipinos would choose local products they think are as good as, if not better than, imported items. The global youth research organization TRU (Teens Research Unlimited), which is part of TNS, leading custom market research specialists operating in some 80 countries, found that local brand Bench topped multinationals Nike and Adidas among Filipino teens.
The first TRU Study: 2011 Philippines Teen Edition found that about nine out of 10 teenagers saw local brands as being at par with imported brands. Bench was the No. 1 brand among survey respondents. Mobile phones were found to be the teens’ gadget of choice because of functionality and relative affordability. Nokia was the leading brand among Filipino teens, accounting for 75 percent of all handsets currently owned by young people.
The study also found that Filipino teens continued to give importance to family, religion/faith and personal well-being. It was also found that Filipino teens had a keen awareness of issues and worried primarily about crime, child abuse, drug use and, particularly among those in Visayas and Mindanao, AIDS.
Teens from upper classes were concerned about climate change/global warming. Eight out of 10 respondents believed that, without education, getting ahead in life would be difficult.
Brighter
I have been curious if there is any difference between the spiral-shaped bulb and the straight, tube-like type. Nini Icban, corporate communications, sustainability and stakeholder relations manager of Philips Electronics and Lighting Inc., has finally satisfied my curiosity.
She said the spiral kind was brighter, compared to the straight tube-like type of the same wattage. So, if both bulbs cost the same, better go for the spiral type. Being more compact, it will also look better in chandeliers and covered lamps.
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