CAB and consumer rights

FE Team | Published: December 12, 2018 20:26:57

This letter is in reference to an article published on December 12 in the Financial Express titled 'CAB call centre gets good responses'.
The article reported that a call centre by the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has received 324 complaints within a month after its launch. The call centre was inaugurated on October 31 with an aim to provide support and counselling to consumers regarding their rights.
Two mobile phone numbers -01977008071 and 01977008072 -of the call centre can be called by any customer to seek answers to consumer rights related queries. They can also write e-mail to callcenter.cabdhaka@gmail.com or visit the CAB office located in Concord Tower at Panthapath in Dhaka for counselling. The service remains accessible from 8:00am to 8:00pm every day, except Fridays and public holidays.
The CAB has provided data that the centre has received 227 telephone calls, 87 e-mails and 10 physical visits by consumers seeking redress for violations of consumers' rights.
From this number, the call centre forwarded 37 complaints to the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) for settlement of the issues in November. Most of the complaints were against e-commerce sites, app-based ride-hailing services and electronic home appliance sellers for selling substandard services or products.
CAB's senior management is content with the response. But they are worried that most consumers in Bangladesh are still unaware about their rights as consumers as well as the existence of this call centre.
CAB President Ghulam Rahman has requested media personnel to help the cause by promoting the call centre. Additionally, I believe, word-of-mouth can help, as most of the consumers who complained had heard about the call centre from friends, relatives and peers. Maybe FE's readers can inform their friends, relatives and loved ones about the call centre.
Also, I want to thank CAB for this support to the consumers of Bangladesh. I request them to set up branches in the districts and rural towns of the country. Maybe non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organisations can come forward to support these branches.
Akibul Javed,
Indira Road, Dhaka