BANGKOK – The boom in online retailing has resulted in numerous complaints from customers via the Department of Internal Trade’s 1569 hotline, regarding consumer exploitation.
The Department of Internal Trade’s Deputy Director General Chatchai Saksilapachai revealed today that 1,429 complaints were lodged via the hotline this year, most of which concerned the failure to display clear pricing labels in 330 cases, which far exceeds the 2018 figure of 178 cases out of 1,932 complaints.
This figure reflects changes in consumer behaviour towards greater online purchases, where some retailers refuse to display pricing of the products but instead require customers to ask by sending private messages, which poses an opportunity for sellers to unreasonably raise product prices.
In 2020, the Department of Internal Trade will be conducting a more thorough and strict online inspection of shops, and will disclose information which the general public can use to preserve their rights and prevent themselves from being exploited.
The law on product and service pricing, in its latest July 2019 amendment, mandates that pricing of products and services sold online must be clearly displayed. Sellers who fail to do so will face up to a 10,000 baht fine, plus a daily penalty until they finally display a correct price label.
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