FTC to consumers: ‘Come to us’

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has urged consumers to come forward and report unfair treatment by businesses, according to the FTC’s Director of Fair Competition, Antonio Thompson.

Thompson said consumers played a critical role in bringing instances of unfair practices by businesses to the regulator’s attention.

The FTC official said: “We have a mandate to monitor the market and that’s what we try to do. We try to keep our ears to the ground and we try to listen, but importantly if the consumers do not tell us what is happening and we don’t hear consumers make complaints, we then have to go searching.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the FTC’s annual training programme in competition law and policy at the Accra Beach Hotel, Thompson said:

“It’s easier when we receive those complaints and those concerns for us to be able to do our job. Not that we’re going to sit and wait, but it’s way easier for us to identify those problem areas when people come and share their concerns.”

Thompson said that the FTC paid great attention to consumers.

He said once they felt dissatisfied with prices or certain practices being employed by particular businesses, that was good enough reason for them to contact the commission to air their greivances.

Thompson explained: “What we are keen to listen to from consumers are when they express dissatisfaction with pricing, for example in terms of pricing being the same or prices being too high.

“Those are things that would draw our attention in the Competition Division, areas that we may need to look at a little closer to see if there is an abuse of dominance in a particular area, or if there is some sort of anti-competitive agreement or coordination between retailers or wholesalers that is affecting consumers.”