The institution of the ombudsman for consumer protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the past year received about 1,400 complaints from citizens, which is approximately the same level as the previous two years, this institution confirmed.
The largest number of complaints related to services of general economic interest, such as the supply of gas, electricity, water and telecommunications, followed by consumer goods (clothing, footwear, technical goods), financial services, online trade, as well as services in the tourism and rent-a-car sectors.
More and more complaints about online shopping
The Ombudsperson for Consumer Protection points out that in the last five years, they have recorded a continuous increase in complaints about online shopping.
– Although the law foresees the protection of consumers in this segment, there is a need to upgrade it in order to provide more efficient protection of citizens – the institution states.
They add that more intensive consumer education about the basic rules of online trade is also necessary, in order to reduce the number of frauds.
Scams via social networks are becoming more common
The ombudsman warns that a significant part of the complaints do not refer to legal traders, but to the purchase of goods from fictitious sellers and fraudsters through social networks and unregistered sales platforms.
– Consumers often do not check whether the merchant has a displayed ID number, address of the headquarters, nor do they pay attention to reviews, which in many cases do not exist at all – the Ombudsman pointed out.
In such cases, they emphasize, the Institution refers consumers to the competent departments for cybercrime at the Ministries of Internal Affairs, because these are criminal acts of alienation of property, and not classic violations of consumer rights.
The law protects consumers, but changes are needed
The Ombudsperson states that the Law on Consumer Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina largely protects the rights of citizens, but that there is room for upgrading it through harmonization with European Union directives.
This applies in particular to:
- online store
- card business
- declaring goods
- clear display of prices
Media important for strengthening consumer awareness
The ombudsman pointed out that in the last few years, through the cooperation of the institution and the media, a large number of topics in the field of consumer rights have been opened, with the aim of strengthening consumer awareness and informing the citizens of BiH, he writes. NOISE.
