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We demand fit for purpose goods and services

31 October 2011 Gareth Stokes
Gareth Stokes, FAnews Online Editor

Gareth Stokes, FAnews Online Editor

Stakeholders in the financial services industry are acutely aware of consumer rights. Financial intermediaries are bound by the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act and its accompanying Codes of Good Conduct for Financial Services Provi

I started thinking about consumer rights after a news clip that featured President Jacob Zuma opening the new South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) office and testing facility. The building houses state of the art laboratories to conduct chemical analysis and undertake all manner of automated testing on consumer goods. The new and improved SABS isn’t going to prevent the dumping of sub-standard consumer goods on the local market, though I will concede it’s a step in the right direction. Why this sudden interest in consumer protection and product testing? Quite simply: I’m nursing a sliced finger – an injury I picked up while opening the product of one of my favourite South African companies, SAB Miller. Part of the bottle neck sheared when I popped the lid and my hand slid over the jagged glass edge…

Power struggles create leadership vacuums

I’m sure this kind of thing happens quite frequently. Sometimes an accident like the one just described is due to the user’s clumsiness or stupidity – and other times the product genuinely fails. All I can say in my defence is I’ve opened hundreds of beers before without any problem! After a few moments wasted staring at the dodgy beer bottle my attention turned to other recent purchases that didn’t live up to my expectations.

My beer and finger accident occurred at the end of three-hour welding marathon, so I’ll kick off my complaint in the DIY field. I’d purchased some steel to build a workbench. Part of my order, placed at one of the country’s largest steel retailers, was for 3mm (thick) flat bar… When the staff loaded my vehicle with the product, cut to my specification, I questioned them about this item because it didn’t look 3mm thick to the naked eye… Of course I left with their assurances that the product was 100% correct and that it was likely my eyes that were faulty.

Needless to say a quick check with the callipers back home confirmed my suspicion. I was the proud owner of 2.65mm flat bar… I took it back and the company duly passed a credit – but this came nowhere close to compensating for my wasted time and the petrol to return the goods – let alone the inconvenience of missing my self-imposed project deadlines. I also wonder how many 2.65mm flat bars have left this particular retailer as 3mm bar over the years!

From defective goods to not fit for purpose

I’ve had plenty of trouble with DIY goods of late. It seems most of the goods in our Home Depot type stores are designed for single use. A pipe wrench purchased for close to R80 broke the first time it was applied to a pipe – and it’s still lying in a packet somewhere in my home. I couldn’t find the energy to return it and I’m sure it’s too late now. The same shop dispensed a broken poison sprayer, which I only discovered on first use, three months after purchase. To make matters worse I only noticed the fault after mixing R100 worth of ant poison in the container. Not even the CPA will protect me from this mess!

I don’t have a major issue with the occasional broken item or appliance. What really gets to me is when the item or appliance is clearly not fit for purpose. Trust me – such goods are dime-a-dozen in our stores. A while back I purchased a vacuum cleaner for home use… It wasn’t the cheapest on offer, neither was it the most expensive. But within minutes of unpacking the machine and putting it to use I was horrified. It’s one of those pull along machines that is supposed to follow you obediently as you clean house… But it’s off balance. The engine sits on top of this lightweight plastic housing – and as soon as the roller wheels encounter the slightest resistance the entire unit topples over. It’s a vacuum cleaner that is not fit for purpose! Fit for purpose, incidentally, is defined as: “Appropriate, and of a necessary standard, for its intended use!”

South Africa’s big brand consumer goods companies take advantage of us too, by increasing prices by stealth. You’ll see evidence of these abuses each time you pop into your local grocer… Soft drinks (and beers) suddenly shrink from 340ml to 330ml servings. More recently I’ve noticed chocolate slabs reducing from 200g to 180g… And consumers threw their toys when a popular brand of tomato sauce saw fit to replace their 750ml bottle with a 700ml equivalent recently. There’s never an announcement – and when pressured to provide reasons for such changes the companies typically sell some nonsense about “going green” by reducing packaging materials or similar.

Selling less goods for the same price

Truth is they’re simply bumping up profits by stealth. And before you know it you are paying the same for the streamlined product as before… Go through a basket of your typical household consumables and you’ll find plenty of examples of this practice. I firmly believe soap manufacturers have been “softening” their product to make them dissolve quicker. And the contact lens solution I use comes with free lens cases which seem bigger (by volume) each time I purchase it. Despite all the consumer protections we still get taken for a ride, whether at the store or signing up for a cell phone or 3G Data contract. For now the motto remains “consumer beware!”

Editor’s thoughts: The great thing about my Stokes’ Stage platform is I get to let off a bit of steam. I’m sure today’s consumer rights rant resonates with many of you… If you feel like sharing one of your painful shopping (or after shopping) experiences, simply add your comment below, or send it to gareth@fanews.co.za

Comments

Added by Bidnis Man, 07 Nov 2011
What takes the cake for me is Vodacom. They charged me R10 000 by stealth while I was overseas for 160MB of Data with a street value of less than 10 Euros. Caveat Emptor has been part of common law for a long time but now it is changing to seller beware - I am not sure that it will work as well as is hoped as corporates and businesses have the resource to game (or bribe or bully) the system to the extent that it is does not work as intended. Either that or the regulator has teeth that are too sharp and compliance drives prices up (like in the financial services industry).
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