KPDNHEP received over 24,000 complaints on online transactions

Calls for advocacy delivery tactics and techniques to be diversified following current technology and needs

by ANIS HAZIM / pic by BERNAMA

THE Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has received a total of 24,150 complaints on online transactions as of Feb 28, 2022, an increase of 36.45% compared to the first Movement Control Order in March 2020.

KPDNHEP Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (picture) said that Malaysian consumer knowledge is still at a moderate level of 63.1%, based on the Consumer Empowerment Index 2020.

“This index shows that consumers in our country have not yet fully appreciated and practised their rights as consumers,” Nanta Linggi said at the launching ceremony of Consumption Advocation Through Public Transport and World Consumer Rights Day 2022 yesterday.

Thus, he calls on all parties, especially consumer not-profit organisations, universities and college consumer associations as well as the consumer community to intensify advocacy and education on consumer rights.

“This includes the channels for complaints and actions to protect their rights from deception and scams of unethical traders as well as irresponsible service providers,” he said.

KPDNHEP also calls for advocacy delivery tactics and techniques to be diversified following current technology and needs.

Notably, Nanta Linggi said that this will become effective and quickly permeate into healthy and sustainable consumer culture.

Concurrently, KPDNHEP has adopted a new medium of advocacy via a public transport provider, Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT).

“MRT service was chosen because it has a large number of users, especially in the Klang Valley as a medium of daily transport and is a model of public transport of the future that absorbs the elements of digitalisation widely,” he noted.

He views that the collaboration will give a positive impact because it can reach huge number of public.

“MRT has an average of 62,000 passengers a day, where users will spend half of their time in the MRT coach to their respective destinations every day,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said that KPDNHEP is constantly identifying other methods of communicating information to consumers, including collaboration with influencers and e-commerce platforms.

“This is an addition to conventional mediums to spread dissemination regarding consumer rights and examples of cases of such rights being violated and manipulated,” he added.