LASCOPA Reinstates Commitment To Protect Consumer’s Right

By Joy Udoh

General Manager Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), Afolabi Solebo Esq., has reinstated the agency commitment to protect the interest of consumers against hazardous products.

Afolabi who said this during an interview with Eko Hot Blog added that the agency’s priority is to guard citizens against harmful products and ensuring their satisfaction.

He, therefore, clarified the need for consumers to be properly educated on identifying hazardous materials.

While speaking on LASCOPA’s aim in ensuring safety in the purchase of goods, he said “our Mission is to ensure Consumers the safety of consumers Rights which is very important and the main purpose of which the Office was established and to Protect Citizens against substandard Products that are mostly everywhere in the state.

“There are times consumers gets some Products even with a warrantee tag attached, and in a twinkle of an eye the Products stops working and all you get from the marketer is a repair/refix, but when such issue is reported here in our office by the consumer, we make sure there is a replacement of such Products”

Read Also: LASCOPA Seals Off Warehouse For Repackaging Expired Products

Relating to the dissatisfaction of services customers sometimes get from one another, he said the agency makes sure there is a proper follow-up and settlement during issues of such occurrence.

“There was this issue that transpired sometime ago between Courier Service and a Lady. Someone sent some gadgets from abroad (phones and some other gadgets) and it wasn’t rightly delivered and the lady came to our office to report the issue and before then she had already locked up the dispatch rider in the Police custody.

“We stepped in the case and invited the dispatch company and the lady over to our office and I decide to go into Mediation. I took my time to enlighten the company on how dangerous it is for their image to be dented, together with our Lawyer we gave them some time to replace the Phones and the gadget which they did at the appointed time.

“They bought new phones worth nine hundred thousand Naira and gave to the Lady with an undertaken signed by both parties.

“That is one of the benefits of the Protection Agency, but if consumers don’t come to us to Lodge a complaint there is no way we would get to take any steps, and though plans has been set for us to go all out to educate consumers about their Rights”

Afolabi further explained that LASCOPA’s mandate is to enlighten the general public on the rights for consumers to be informed about the standard price of goods and services in order to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.

“Our Mandate is also to give a consumer Right to seek redress in court, like the case I cited earlier, peradventure they decide to go to court, we’re always ready as we have our own lawyers and ready to stand for consumer who feels and has been confirmed that their Rights has been infringed upon.”

“Our services are totally free,” he added.

Speaking on consumer’s right to approach the agency, he said that, citizens can always be free and buoyant to walk up to the office to make a complaint when their Rights has been infringed upon. He added that this is feasible only if they’re well-grounded on the knowledge of their rights.