Manual on Consumer Protection

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Manual on Consumer Protection UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT UNCTAD MANUAL ON CONSUMER PROTECTION Edition 2016 Advance copy i Manual on Consumer Protection NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This is an unedited publication. Material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, but acknowledgement is requested, together with a reference of the document number. A copy of the publication containing the quotation or reprint should be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat. This publication is an advance copy of the Manual on Consumer Protection. Please send your comments to: [email protected] UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION UNCTAD/WEB/DITC/CLP/2016/1 Copyright © United Nations, 2016 All rights reserved. Printed in Kenya Manual on Consumer Protection ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Manual on Consumer Protection was revised in 2016 by Robin Simpson, lead consultant, and a team comprising Marisa Henderson, Graham Mott, Maria Bovey and Arnau Izaguerri. The work was completed under the overall supervision of Guillermo Valles, Director of the Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities. The manual benefited from major substantive input by: Celine Awuor, consultant specialist in consumer protection in financial services; Thierry Bourgoignie, Groupe de recherche en droit International et comparé de la consommation, Université du Québec à Montréal; Liz Coll, specialist consultant in digital consumer policy; Ms Ha Dinh; Mr Julian Edwards, consumer policy consultant; Alan Etherington, consultant, water and sanitation; Christopher Hodges, University of Oxford; Sadie Homer, specialist, consumers and international standards; Claudia Lima Marques, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Jeremy Malcolm, Electronic Frontier Foundation; Robert N. Mayer, University of Utah; Ogochukwu Monye, University of Benin, Nigeria; Judit Pump, specialist in environmental law; Iain Ramsay, University of Kent; Christine Riefa, University of Brunel; Elena Salazar de Llaguno, food consultant and specialist in food policy; Antonino Serra Cambeceres, specialist, consumer protection; Jami Solli; Stephen Thomas, University of Greenwich; Frank Trentmann; Toni Williams, University of Kent; Elena Wolf, consultant on consumer protection; Ying Yu, University of Oxford; and Aurélie Zoude-Le Berre, advisor in French National Assembly, specialist in competition policy and practice. Comments on a draft version of the manual were provided by Nicole Nespoulous, Deon Woods-Bell, and Cécile Barayre. The cover was prepared by Nadège Hadjemian and Neema Toyb. iii Manual on Consumer Protection Contents NOTE ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix PART I: A CONSUMER PROTECTION SYSTEM 1 Chapter 1 Consumer Protection - An Overview 2 1.1 The rationale for consumer protection 2 1.2 Who is the consumer and what is consumer interest? 6 1.3 Who is responsible for consumer protection? 7 1.4 A framework for consumer protection 8 1.5 Conclusion 10 Chapter 2 The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 11 2.1. International instruments and consumer protection 11 2.2 The United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 11 2.2.1 Objectives, scope of application and general principles 12 2.2.2 Principles for good business practices 13 2.2.3 Guidelines 13 2.2.3 International cooperation 16 2.2.4 International institutional machinery 16 2.3 Conclusion 17 Chapter 3 Consumer Law 19 3.1 Consumer law in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 19 3.2 Constitutional provisions on consumer protection 19 3.3 Framework consumer protection laws 20 3.4 Interface between consumer laws and other laws 23 3.4.1 Sectoral laws 23 3.4.2 Professional service legislation 23 3.4.3 Intellectual property 23 3.4.4 International trade law 24 3.5 Conclusion 25 Chapter 4 Consumer Protection Agencies 26 4.1 Consumer protection agencies in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 26 4.2 Functions of consumer protection agencies 26 4.3 Organizational models for consumer protection agencies 27 4.3.1 Examples of Government agencies within ministries 27 4.3.2 Consultation mechanisms 28 4.3.3 Operational autonomy 29 4.3.4 The link with competition 29 4.3.5 Non-statutory public bodies 31 4.4 The changing scope of consumer protection 31 4.5 Conclusion 32 Manual on Consumer Protection iv Chapter 5 Consumer Associations 33 5.1 Consumer associations in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 33 5.2 Consumer associations in the modern economy 33 5.3 The functions of consumer associations 35 5.4 Consumer associations’ independence 36 5.5 Consumer associations – are they representative? 36 5.6 Conclusion 38 Chapter 6 Business conduct 39 6.1 Business conduct in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 39 6.2 Corporate social responsibility 41 6.2.1 European Union definitions of corporate social responsibility 41 6.2.2 ISO 26000 Guidance on corporate social responsibility 41 6.2.3 OECD Guidelines for multi-national enterprises 42 6.2.4 Is corporate social responsibility making progress? 43 6.2.5 Is it possible to do well by doing good? 44 6.3 Self-regulation 44 6.3.1 Cross-border codes 46 6.3.2 Criteria for self-regulation 46 6.4 Does collaboration work? 48 6.5 Conclusion 48 Chapter 7 Competition Law and the Consumer interest 50 7.1 Competition in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 50 7.2 Nature and characteristics of competition law and policy 50 7.3 Concepts of competition law 51 7.3.1 Abuse of dominance 52 7.3.2 Cartels and collusive behaviour 53 7.3.3 Mergers and acquisitions 55 7.4 Institutional architecture for competition 55 7.5 A challenge for competition policy coherence: consumer resistance to switching 57 7.6 Conclusion 58 Chapter 8 International Cooperation 59 8.1 International cooperation in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 59 8.2 Applicable law and jurisdiction 60 8.3 Practical international cooperation 62 8.4 International institutional machinery 63 8.5 Conclusion 64 PART II: CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE MARKETPLACE 65 Chapter 9 Product Safety and Liability 66 9.1 Product safety in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 67 9.2 Product Safety Laws 67 9.2.1 The rationale for product safety laws 67 9.2.2 Components of a comprehensive product safety policy 67 v Manual on Consumer Protection 9.3 Product Liability 70 9.3.1 Contractual liability 70 9.3.2 Tortious liability 71 9.3.3 Strict liability 71 9.3.4 Rationale for strict liability 71 9.3.5 What is a defect? 72 9.3.6 Standards for determining defectiveness 73 9.3.7 Defences against product liability 74 9.4 Services as dangerous products 76 9.5 Product safety in international law and policy 76 9.6 Second hand goods 77 9.7 Conclusion 78 Chapter 10 Consumer Information and Education 79 10.1 Concepts of consumer information and education 79 10.2 Consumer information and education in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 79 10.3 The transfer of risk 80 10.4 Consumer information 80 10.5 Critical issues with respect to labelling 82 10.5.1 Mandatory labelling 82 10.5.2 Voluntary labelling 82 10.5.3 Product information criteria 83 10.6 Critical issues with respect to advertising 84 10.7 Implementation of consumer education 86 10.8 Conclusion 89 Chapter 11 Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress 91 11.1 Consumer dispute resolution and redress in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 91 11.2 The need for consumer dispute resolution and redress 91 11.3 Pathways for delivering consumer redress 92 11.3.1 Courts 92 11.3.2 Collective redress 92 11.3.3 Public regulatory and enforcement action 93 11.3.4 Alternative dispute resolution 93 11.3.5 Ombudsmen 94 11.3.6 Business customer care and complaint functions 95 11.3.7 Online dispute resolution 95 11.4 Criteria for assessing consumer redress systems 96 11.5 Conclusion 97 Chapter 12 Electronic Commerce 98 12.1 Electronic commerce in the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection 98 12.2 The scope and extent of e-commerce 98 12.3 Consumer trust in the digital market 102 12.4 Guidelines from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 103 12.4.1 Applicable law for cross-border redress 103 12.4.2 Identification of the provider 103 12.4.3 Authentication of the consumer 104 12.4.4 Privacy issues 104 Manual on Consumer Protection vi 12.4.5 Security issues 104 12.4.6 Electronic contracting 105 12.4.7 Other issues 105 12.5 Other international guidelines for the regulation of e-commerce 105 12.5.1 The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law 106 12.5.2 UNCTAD’s e-commerce and law reform project 106 12.6 Conclusion 106 Chapter 13 Privacy and Data Protection 109 13.1 Privacy in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 109 13.2 Is privacy a right? 109 13.3 Understanding the data dimension from a consumer perspective 110 13.4 Regulating the digital age 111 13.5 International regulation 112 13.6 Can technology respond to the challenges that technology creates? 114 13.7 Conclusion 117 PART III: CONSUMER PROTECTION AND BASIC GOODS AND SERVICES 118 Chapter 14 Financial Services 119 14.1 Financial services in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection 119 14.2 Function and forms of consumer credit 120 14.2.1 The poor pay more 122 14.2.2 Common forms
Recommended publications
  • A Tale of Two Movements: Consumer Protection in the U.S. from 1969 to 2010
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons CUREJ - College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal College of Arts and Sciences 5-2-2013 A Tale of Two Movements: Consumer Protection in the U.S. from 1969 to 2010 Diya Berger [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/curej Recommended Citation Berger, Diya, "A Tale of Two Movements: Consumer Protection in the U.S. from 1969 to 2010" 02 May 2013. CUREJ: College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania, https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/168. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/168 For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Tale of Two Movements: Consumer Protection in the U.S. from 1969 to 2010 Abstract The passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and subsequent establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau marked an unexpected victory for consumers across America at the expense of the well-financed business lobby. Although classical social scientists, such as Mancur Olson, claim that consumer movements should fail to emerge due to the difficulty of providing public goods for large constituencies, consumer victories – like the passage of Dodd-Frank— have occurred in waves throughout the last century. In conducting this study, I thus sought to answer why it is that some consumer movements are able to push through consumer legislation while others fail. In order to answer this question, I conducted two cases studies, comparing Ralph Nader’s failed attempt to establish a Consumer Protection Agency in the 1970s with Elizabeth Warren’s successful push to create Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010.
    [Show full text]
  • Consumer Organizations and Promotion of Sustainable Energy Consumption: Comparative Product Quality Testing and Its Impact
    Panel III, 04 – Wahnschafft/Huh Consumer Organizations and Promotion of Sustainable Energy Consumption: Comparative Product Quality Testing and its Impact Ralph WAHNSCHAFFT Energy Resources Section, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Bangkok, Thailand Kwisun HUH Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Republic of Korea 1 - SYNOPSIS This paper reports selected preliminary results of an ongoing survey on consumer organizations. It analyzes comparative product quality testing and its potential impact on promotion of energy efficiency. 2 - ABSTRACT The paper provides an overview on consumer organizations in OECD and high income developing countries, in particular with regard to their consumer information activities. It focuses on a review of comparative product testing of selected electrical home appliances and on test reports in consumer interest magazines. The paper analyzes the relative weights allocated to the different product quality criteria, including energy efficiency. Based on the above the paper reflects on the role that consumer organizations can play in the promotion of “green consumerism” and sustainable energy consumption, in particular with regard to the residential sector. 3 - INTRODUCTION 3.1. Background and objectives Advancing commercialization of societies has brought with it the formation of a growing number of local and national consumer interest groups. Today, Consumers International, the largest federation of consumer organizations and agencies worldwide, counts 243 member organizations in over 110 countries (1). Individual organizations greatly differ in their membership and organization, their sources of financing and government sponsorship, their work methods, activities and relative political influence. However, enhancement of consumer protection and better consumer information are overall common objectives that unite the “consumer movement”.
    [Show full text]
  • Herbal Education Catalog Inside!
    Herbal Education Catalog inside! 7 25274 81379 7 New Items in ABC's Herbal Education Catalog All items on page 2-5 ore nowavaila ble throug hou r 32-page catalog, wh ichis available followi ng page 82 of this issue of Herba/Gram. THE HEALING HERBS COOKBOOK by Pot Crocker. 1999. Information on preserving and cooking with herbs, plus o comprehensive reference on their medicinal properties. 115 vegetarian recipes incorporating whole, natural ingredients with o wide variety f of healing herbs. lists herbal organizations, moihnder sources, glossary, and herb-specific recipe index. t Softcover, 192 pp. $17.95 . #8400 r r HERBAL MEDICINE INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM 1999 international conference on the science, regulation production and clinical application of medicinal plants ot Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Austrolio. View and hear from your computer the complete 18 hours of presentations from 27 of the world's most eminent medicinal plont experts from 9 countries together for the first time. CD ROM $150. SOUTHERN HERB GROWING #C009 by Modolene Hill and Gwen Barclay. 1987. Comprehensive guide to growing more than 130 herbs in the conditions peculiar to the American South. Propogotion, cultivation, harvesting, design ideas, usage, and history. 300 color photographs and 10 0 recipes. Softcover, 196 pp. $24.95. #B399 HEALING PLANTS 2000 16-MONTH CALENDAR by Steven Foster. Storts with September 1999. Includes traditional ond modern medicinal uses in addition to beautiful full color photographs. $11.99. #G016 AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HERBAL by Use Monniche. 1989. 94 species of plants ond trees used from before the pharaohs to the Coptic period.
    [Show full text]
  • Avv. Polliotto
    PRIVATIZZAZIONI E LIBERO MERCATO: risparmio reale per i consumatori? MARTEDÌ, 17 DICEMBRE 2013 Ore 14,30 – 18,30 Teatro VITTORIA Torino – Via Gramsci n. 4 Il consumo costituisce il punto di partenza delle attività economiche ed il suo ruolo è stato incrementato dallo sviluppo delle economie di scambio che, negli ultimi decenni, ne hanno accentuato i significati segnaletici e relazionali. Infatti è un’adeguata tutela dei consumatori a permettere un migliore funzionamento dei sistemi economici, emarginando le imprese scorrette, consolidando i diritti dei cittadini e promuovendo lo sviluppo economico e sociale. Origini americane del concetto di tutela dei consumatori Un prima forma di movimento in difesa dei consumatori ha origine negli Stati Uniti d’America , dove prima che in ogni altro paese al mondo, si crearono le condizioni per la nascita ed il veloce sviluppo di un capitalismo monopolistico ed oligopolistico. Un primo evento che segna l’inizio delle politiche in favore dei consumatori è la normativa Antitrust (Sherman Act) del 1890, che non era né voluta per servire a quello scopo, ma per proteggere il piccolo commercio e la produzione artigianale dallo strapotere dei monopolisti e delle grandi concentrazioni industriali. Lo Sherman Act, applicato la prima volta nel 1911 nella causa contro l’impero Rockefeller, infatti, escludeva tutte le azioni che tendevano a creare un profitto da una situazione di monopolio. Nella prima parte la legge proibiva tutte le pratiche che restringevano le chance della concorrenza, come ad esempio il controllo sui prezzi; nella seconda parte, invece, proibiva alle imprese che detenevano il monopolio su un settore di mercato di servirsene per estenderlo ad altri settori.
    [Show full text]
  • PARTIES of RECORD in R.00-02-004 Decision 06-03-013 Is Being Mailed Without the Written Dissent of Commiss
    STATE OF CALIFORNIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 505 VAN NESS AVENUE SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-3298 March 9, 2006 TO: ALL PARTIES OF RECORD IN R.00-02-004 Decision 06-03-013 is being mailed without the written dissent of Commissioner Grueneich. The dissent will be mailed separately. Very truly yours, /s/ Angela K. Minkin Angela K. Minkin, Chief Administrative Law Judge ANG:mal Attachment 226372 COM/MP1/mal MAILED 3/9/2006 DECISION 06-03-013 March 2, 2006 BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Order Instituting Rulemaking on Rulemaking 00-02-004 the Commission’s Own Motion to (Filed February 3, 2000) establish Consumer Rights and Protection Rules Applicable to All Telecommunications Utilities. DECISION ISSUING REVISED GENERAL ORDER 168, MARKET RULES TO EMPOWER TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONSUMERS AND TO PREVENT FRAUD 226372 - 1 - R.00-02-004 COM/MP1/mal TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................2 2. PROCEDURAL HISTORY...................................................................................7 3. REVIEW OF RECORD EVIDENCE..................................................................16 3.1 EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN SUPPORT OF NEW RULES....................................17 3.1.1 Consumer Complaint Records.....................................................17 3.1.2 Survey Data.....................................................................................25 3.1.3 Enforcement Actions .....................................................................28
    [Show full text]
  • FFA-Cup-2019 Competition-Guide
    1 FFA Cup 2019 Competition Guide CONTENTS Page Information, fixtures, results 2 Clubs 5 History and records 25 FFA CUP Web: www.theffacup.com.au Facebook: facebook.com/ffacup Twitter: @FFACup The FFA Cup is a national knockout competition run by Football Federation Australia (FFA) in conjunction with the State and Territory Member Federations. A total of 737 clubs entered the FFA Cup 2019, a number that has significantly grown from the first edition of the FFA Cup in 2014, when 617 clubs entered. The FFA Cup 2019 started in February with the Preliminary Rounds to determine the 21 clubs from the semi-professional and amateur tiers. These clubs joined ten of the Hyundai A-League clubs (Western United FC will not participate in this edition) and the reigning National Premier Leagues Champions (Campbelltown City SC) in the Final Rounds. The FFA Cup Final 2019 will be played on Wednesday 23 October with the host city to be determined by a live draw. Each cup tie must be decided on the day, with extra time to decide results of matches drawn after 90 minutes, followed by penalties if required. At least one Member Federation club is guaranteed to progress to the Semi Finals. Previous winners of the FFA Cup are Adelaide United (2014 and 2018), Melbourne Victory (2015), Melbourne City FC (2016) and Sydney FC (2017). Broadcast partners – FOX SPORTS FOX SPORTS will again provide comprehensive coverage of the FFA Cup 2019 Final Rounds. The FFA Cup’s official broadcaster will show one LIVE match per match night from the Round of 32 onwards, while providing coverage and updates, as well as live streams, of non-broadcast matches.
    [Show full text]
  • Undergraduate & Graduate
    VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES August 2020 College of Arts & Sciences School of Engineering School of Business School of Health Sciences School of Communications School of Nursing School of Education CONTENTS Message from the President ..............................................................................3 Order of Exercises College of Arts & Sciences, School of Communications, School of Education – Tuesday, August 25, 2020, 5 p.m. .................4 School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing Thursday, August 27, 2020, 5 p.m. ........................................................5 School of Business, School of Engineering Thursday, August 27, 2020, 7:30 p.m. ..................................................6 Undergraduate Academic Achievement .....................................................7 2020 Graduates College of Arts & Sciences ........................................................................10 School of Business .......................................................................................12 School of Communications ......................................................................16 School of Education ...................................................................................18 School of Engineering ................................................................................19 School of Health Sciences .........................................................................20 School of Nursing .......................................................................................24
    [Show full text]
  • Personal Financial Management
    UNIT 4 Personal Financial Management 15 Consumers in the Global Economy 16 Money Management and Financial Planning 17 Banking and Financial Services 18 Consumer Credit 19 Savings and Investment Strategies 20 Insurance © Brand X Pictures 368 445610_15_Ch15_p368-395.indd5610_15_Ch15_p368-395.indd 336868 112/21/072/21/07 99:32:41:32:41 AAMM business outside the box Multimedia Medical Information: A to Z Health care organizations, includ- professionals, consumers, the Within a few months of starting ing hospitals and medical centers, media, and students. to look at international opportuni- are spending millions to develop A major product of A.D.A.M. ties, the company sold its interac- user-friendly, content-rich web is its extensive multimedia medi- tive medical software in Singapore, sites for a wide range of audiences. cal encyclopedia database covering Switzerland, and Malaysia. They Rather than developing all of thousands of diseases and condi- also have representatives in Spain, their own content, they are buy- tions. Other products include Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, ing some content from sources graphics, 3-D image models, virtual Norway, and Sweden. such as A.D.A.M. (Animated tours of the human body, and broad- Dissection of Anatomy for cast-quality animation. Physician- Think Critically Medicine). This Atlanta-based reviewed text ensures the highest Create a plan to provide profes- company provides interactive quality of medical information. sionals and consumers with other medical information for health Efforts by A.D.A.M. for global types of vital information they care organizations, medical expansion have been successful. might need in their daily activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges to Consumer Policy in the Digital Age
    www.oecd.org/sti/consumer CHALLENGES www.oecd.org/going-digital TO CONSUMER http://oe.cd/digital-economy-papers POLICY IN THE @OECDInnovation DIGITAL AGE Background Report G20 International Conference on Consumer Policy TOKUSHIMA, JAPAN 5-6 SEPTEMBER 2019 2 CHALLENGES TO CONSUMER POLICY IN THE DIGITAL AGE This report is issued under the responsibility of the Secretary General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries or of the G20. This document, as well as any data and any map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law. © OECD, 2019 © OECD 2019 CHALLENGES TO CONSUMER POLICY IN THE DIGITAL AGE 3 Foreword The digital transformation that is underway in our economies and societies has provided consumers with a wealth of commercial opportunities while also bringing a number of new and emerging risks. This report provides an overview of selected key benefits and challenges faced by digital consumers, in support of discussions at the G20 International Conference on Consumer Policy in Tokushima, Japan on 5-6 September 2019. It focuses on six issue areas of particular importance to policy makers: adjusting policy to rapidly changing technologies (Chapter 1) strengthening cross-border co-operation (Chapter 2) enhancing the impact of product recalls in the digital age (Chapter 3) dispute resolution and redress and new technologies (Chapter 4) the role of consumer protection agencies in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (Chapter 5) protecting vulnerable consumers in the digital age (Chapter 6).
    [Show full text]
  • Madrid Close In
    PREVIEW ISSUE FOUR – 24TH APRIL 2012 MADRID CLOSE IN REAL TAKE THE SPOILS IN THE EL CLASICO AND CLOSE IN ON THE SILVERWARE After a poor week for both sides in Europe, Real and Barca were desperate to grab a win against their biggest rivals on a dramatic, rain-lashed Saturday night at the Nou Camp. It was Real that grabbed the vital win and probably clinched the La Liga title. Los Merengues went ahead through German midfielders Sami Khedira and were comfortable for long periods, but Barca’s Chilean substitute Alexis Sánchez equalised with just 20 minutes remaining. Cristiano Ronaldo’s clinical strike just three minutes later settled the game with Madrid now seven points clear, with only four games remaining. Madrid coach José Mourinho named an very attacking team and his side began the better. Ronaldo’s early header from a corner brought a superb flying save from goalkeeper Víctor Valdés. His opposite number Iker Casillas was then quickly off his line when full-back Dani Alves dispossessed Sergio Ramos. The game was being played at a fearsome pace and French striker Karim Benzema brought the best out of Valdés again. Barca thought they had gone front when Alves had the ball in the net after a Cristian Tello run, but the youngster had been flagged offside. INSIDE THIS WEEK’S WFW Real’s brave start was rewarded when Pepe’s header from another corner was half- - RESULTS ROUND-UP ON ALL MAJOR stopped by Valdes and Khedira tackled an COMPETITIONS FROM AROUND THE hesitant Carles Puyol to push the ball into the WORLD net to put Madrid ahead.
    [Show full text]
  • A Longitudinal Study of Complaining Customers' Evaluations of Multiple
    Towards A New Model of ‘Customer Compliance’ Service Provision Edward Kasabov and Alex J Warlow KEYWORDS: customer centricity, online services, service recovery, customer (dis)satisfaction 1 Edward Kasabov is an ESRC/EPSRC AIM Research Associate in the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM), London, WC1B 5DN. Edward is a also a Leader of RM Group and Senior Lecturer, Coventry University Business School, Coventry, CV1 2DS. email: [email protected]. tel. 0044-7981568528. Alex J Warlow is an Institute of Direct Marketing Fellow and the Director of Noridol Ltd., Wales SA63 4RD. email: [email protected]. tel. 0044-7917147906. 2 ABSTRACT Purpose: In the last 10 years, businesses taking advantage of market deregulation, call-centre, Intranet and Internet technology have broken traditional marketing norms and path dependent customer management practices. These businesses offer substantially lower prices and good customer service. In spite of anecdotal evidence of the high level of service complaints in the press, these businesses are expanding rapidly by growing the market and by taking share from traditional suppliers. Service failure recovery and complaint management are two areas which are extensively re-designed by such businesses. This paper identifies and examines such new practices. The authors suggest that the traditional ‘customer-centricity’ model is being replaced by a ‘customer-compliance business model’ (CCBM) of service provision. This new model and its propositions defy conventional thinking in the areas of service recovery and complaint management. Design/Methodology/Approach: Available data and research are reviewed, in an attempt to understand CCBM. Differences with the customer-centricity model are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Consumer-Council-Of-Fiji-2017-–-2018-Annual-Report.Pdf
    Annual Report 2017-2018 Parliamentary Paper Number 97 of 2019 WHO Labasa WE ARE Lautoka Suva ABOUT THE COUNCIL Our Vision: To build a society of informed and responsible consumers in which everyone is treated fairly, obtains value for money and is able to exercise their consumer rights. Our Mission: Make consumer voice heard and make it count. The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) is a statutory body established under the Consumer Council Act 1976. The Council protects the rights and interests of consumers by promoting a fair and just delivery of goods and services. First and foremost, the Council is an advocacy organisation, conducting rigorous research and policy analysis on key consumer issues. CCF’s insight into consumer needs is a powerful tool for influencing decision-makers to bring about change. The Council protects the vulnerable groups such as rural poor, physically and mentally challenged, children and women by identifying and articulating the policy issues that are of importance to the consumers. It will do more than simply draw attention to problems faced by consumers - it will champion creative solutions to improve their lives. The Council would like to see consumers placed at the heart of new policies introduced by the Government. International Affiliations The Consumer Council of Fiji is a full member of the UK-based Consumers International (CI), a federation of consumer organisations representing over 240 organisations in 120 countries. The Council was elected in 2015 to serve the CI Council. The Council is also a member of the Committee on Consumer Policy of the International Organisation (COPOLCO) for Standardisation (ISO).
    [Show full text]