The DTI regional office based here said that the percentage comprised the majority of the 538 complaints it received from consumers in Central Luzon in the past year.
DTI Regional Director Judith Angeles said through arbitration and mediation, her office was able to resolve 487 or 91 percent of the total consumer complaints.
“The biggest chunk of the complaints were from cellphone buyers at 124 or 23 percent of the total followed by tablets with 75 complaints, household appliances with 63 complaints, motorcycles with 16, vehicles with 15, and laptops with five,’’ Angeles said.
The DTI regional office here topped in the most number of resolved cases at 128 followed by the DTI provincial offices of Bulacan at 70, Nueva Ecija at 69, and Pampanga at 59.
“We remind dealers, retailers, and manufacturers to follow the provisions of Republic Act 7394 otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines which stipulates that implied warranty for consumer items such as cellphones and tablets range from 60 days to a year,” Angeles stressed.
She also called on the buying public to ‘’be vigilant in examining the warranty certificates, which should meet the minimum standards for warranties under the law.’’
“The certificate should clearly stipulate the duration of the warranty with its terms and conditions to ensure that the consumer is protected by inherent defects of the product,” Angeles added.
