Consumers Have The Right To Reject Overpriced Goods

By Zulkiple Ibrahim KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Can consumers refrain from buying goods if they believe the products are overpriced? The answer is 'yes'. In 2006, there were news reports that a Putrajaya-based executive was charged RM45 for tuna fish curry which he purchased at a shop in Chendering, near Kuala Terengganu. The executive believed that this delicacy was overpriced and it attracted the attention of the media. The issue immediately drew response from the authorities and the public, with the former acting swiftly by pressing charges of RM1,000 on the shop operator for not displaying the price tag of the food properly. (US$1=RM3.07) CONSUMERS HAVE THE FINAL SAY Social activist Dr Ramlan Sadiman says it really boils down to one thing, that no matter how expensive the item on sale is, consumers still have the final say. "If they think that the product is over-priced, then they should not buy it. It is as easy as that. "What more if the particular product is not really essential in the person's daily life. The customer should ask himself whether it is worth buying a delicacy at such an exorbitant price?. "Consumers should be able to say what's on their mind and not simply accept what is "dished out" to them," the 45-year-old consumer activist from Rawang near here tells this writer. Dr Ramlan advises consumers to decide wisely, instead of creating a ruckus later, after realising that they have been taken for a ride. "Look at it from a logical point of view. When a person already knows that the goods are overpriced, he can politely decline the items." COMPARE PRICES Dr Ramlan says it is wise to compare prices before deciding on purchasing a product. "Be it at the wet, farmers' or the night market, compare the prices first before buying," he says. He calls on consumers to boycott unscrupulous traders and stay away from shops that overcharge their goods and services, adding that the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry has been harping on this point and yet many people are still ignorant. "In any transaction, there is always an offer and an acceptance. If the traders sell expensive goods, do not buy," he advises the consumers. He explains that it does not matter if the goods are expensive or not, when a customer accepts the offer and purchases the item, a contract is considered to have taken place, under the common law. "If the customer was not told of the price earlier and later found that the item was too expensive, he has every right to reject the product and get his money back. "This is because he had been given a wrong impression of the price," Dr Ramlan says. UNSCRUPULOUS TRADERS Dr Ramlan admits that unscrupulous traders are waiting for the price hike of commodities such as sugar and petroleum so that they can raise the price of their merchandise. "The traders are looking out for opportunities. They are similar to snatch thieves who are waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims and burglars who are waiting to break into houses," he says. Don't forget, consumers have the final say. -- BERNAMA