Sernac reveals greater abuses against consumers in the region – La Discusión 2024-03-11 14:34:34

The Regional Directorate of the National Consumer Service (Sernac) of Ñuble announced the results of a citizen consultation on consumer issues, highlighting that the problems that most affect consumers are improper charges, followed by misleading advertising and then lack of information when purchasing products or contracting services.

Félix Mercado, regional director of the organization, explained that “citizen opinion is essential for the construction of better and more efficient public policies, with territorial scope, and where the fundamental principle that governs Sernac, such as adequate defense, stands out. of consumers, especially the most vulnerable.”

The purpose of the citizen consultation was to investigate the level of knowledge that consumers have regarding the new rights, the markets and groups on which Sernac should focus its action, and the tools that the Service has at the disposal of citizens.

This participation instance obtained a total of 919 responses from people belonging to the 21 communes of the Ñuble region, of which 50.7% identified with the female gender and 44.5% with the male gender. The range with the highest number of responses was 36 to 50 years old, with 31.3%.

Main conclusions

When asked about the areas of lack of protection, the majority of people (51.1%) indicated that the problem that affects them the most is improper charges; secondly, misleading advertising (45.4%); and, thirdly, lack of relevant information when purchasing a product or contracting a service (32.9%).

When investigating the groups of people that, given their vulnerable condition, Sernac should prioritize its management in the Ñuble region, 54.5% of those surveyed indicated that it should focus on older people; followed by those who have some disabling condition (31.9%); and, thirdly, citizens who have a low educational level (30.4%).

When asked about knowledge of their new rights as consumers, 50.5% indicate that the legal guarantee of 6 months; followed by the right of withdrawal for online purchases (44.8%).

Regarding knowledge of the tools that Sernac has for citizens, 25.2% indicate that “Do Not Disturb”, which allows companies to stop sending spam; in second place (12.8%), “Don’t harass me for collections.”