As of four days ago, Dominican consumers have a new instrument of protection in their hands. The General Law of Consumers and Users Rights and Protection went into effect on May 30.

...the consumer has the right to petition directly to the Pro-Consumer organization to seek a solution and to investigate the issue...

In a press release, the Office of Information, Press and Publicity explained that with Law 263-08 in effect, service providers are now under the legal framework which provides strict fulfillment of the laws, dispositions and regulations as established by the administration of this law, especially in the area of public services.

According to the new legislation, service providers will have effective mechanisms to receive complaints as they arise in keeping with the service in question.

The press release adds that authorities will have offices with trained personnel to orient consumers and users and guarantee their rights. The law foresees the carrying out of inspections that will be done in coordination with representatives of the organization’s regulators.

At the same time, the Consumer Protection Law establishes that service providers must inform users of exact prices and give out printed receipts which give the full breakdown of costs, including tax. Copies of these invoices must also be kept by the provider for government inspection. All prices of goods and services will be indicated in national currency. If a price has been established in a foreign currency, its equivalent in national currency must be indicated.

In terms of complaints on services provided, the law states that complaints will be dealt with according to the sector where it has been registered; each sector will have authority over its own services. However, if the complaint has not been dealt with by the appropriate regional or local authorities, the consumer has the right to petition directly to the Pro-Consumer organization to seek a solution and to investigate the issue or controversy in an effort to rectify the violations against the consumer and to find a favorable solution for the user.

The new law guarantees that Pro-Consumer will protect citizens who seek its service, guaranteeing that all measurements and weights used in the public area are weighed using the proper instruments and scales, and in the case of measuring liquids as well as taxicab meters will also be closely monitored.

In the area of health, protections include the use of clinical thermometers and blood pressure machines and environmental protection from traffic among other things.

Other areas of protection for consumers of goods and services involve the providers’ obligation to inform and orient users in a clear, simple and precise manner about the product or service on offer. All such instruction must be done in the Spanish language so that the product or service can be utilized or assimilated easily by the users.

Those who sell products regulated by the authorities will be obliged to prominently display the prices of all products in their establishments or to provide the consumers or users with a written, detailed price list.