OMIC, the municipal consumers’ office, under the supervision of councillor Amada Trujillo Bencomo, with HQ in Calle Tinerfe el Grande, beside the main post office, registered 1,311 queries this year. There were 456 claims, the majority of them dealing with mobile phone service providers, airlines, electricity providers, bank services, car repairs, electro-domestic goods and guarantees, car rentals, holiday packages, and dental clinics.
As well as releasing details of work carried out so far this year, the OMIC is reminding people that you continue to have the same consumer rights as always during the period of the summer sales, whether you are buying online or in person. They are also reminding the public that rules regarding payment, returns, and guarantees also have to be continued during the sales, and that establishments, both physical and digital, have to accept payments under the usual norms and maintain the same redress and return requirements.
If you are buying on line you also have a 14-day cancellation option during which you can return the product without needing to give a reason,and expect a refund.
Regarding guarantees, since January 1 2022 there is now a three year window during which companies are obliged to repair or exchange a product in the case of a discrepancy.
During the sales shops and businesses do continue to have a series of obligations to their customers, such as proper labelling of products in the sales in a manner that is clear and visible, including the original price and the reduced price or the percentage of the reduction. They should not be offering goods that have defects or stains as sale items.
What to do if you need to make a complaint?
You should always keep receipts or bills of sale as this is documentation that is vital in the case of any complaint, seeking a return, or execution of a guarantee. Where there may be a conflict with a shop or business your best option is to go to the council municipal consumers office, or the regional government consumers arbitration board, which offers a free extra-judicial conflict resolution mechanism for consumers and companies, facilitating the protection of the rights of the consumer and the more vulnerable.
