…OR DO YOU?
How many people actually weigh the products they buy to see if they’re getting what they paid for? Most people (myself included), in good faith, believe that if the label says 25kg, it will be 25kg, not 18kg, like a consumer recently discovered when he purchased potatoes from a co-op in Newcastle. He was getting nearly a third less product than he paid for. And no-one should be swindled out of spuds, by anyone, ever!
What can you do when you discover that you’ve been cheated? The Consumer Protection Act makes selling underweight products illegal in sections 4(5), 24(3), 26(3)(f), 29 and 41. Section 20(2)(b) empowers consumers to return underweight goods to the shop for a full refund. It’s important to record yourself weighing the (hopefully still unopened) item as evidence before you do- also record weighing another item with a known weight so that you can demonstrate that your scale is accurate.
So, you have your proof, and you’ve returned it to the supplier for your refund, only to be met by, “I don’t care who you report it to, I don’t package the bags! No refunds!” The retailer should be concerned about getting reported, because if you report them to the National Consumer Commission (which you can and should do- it’s free of charge) and your matter is heard by the Consumer Tribunal, the retailer might be slapped with a fine of up to R1 million! Alternatively you could report them to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, why not both?
Consumer Goods and Services Ombud: https://www.cgso.org.za/cgso/before-you-complain/
National Consumer Commission: https://www.thencc.gov.za/
By Antone Pienaar and Trudie Broekmann