KUALA LUMPUR: The Covid-19 pandemic not only pushed many shoppers to turn to e-commerce but also increased their awareness on the rights of a consumer.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was reflected in the number of complaints received by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry related to online transactions.
As of end of last month, Ismail Sabri said 36.45 per cent or 24,150 of the total complaints reported to the ministry were related to online transactions.
"The complaints received by the ministry not only indicate a change in consumer trend but also showed majority of the people have become more aware and understand their rights," he said in his speech when launching the National Consumer Day Celebration 2022 at NU Sentral shopping centre here today.
Present were Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi and his deputy Datuk Rosol Wahid.
To protect the welfare as well as empower digitalisation of consumers, Ismail Sabri said the ministry had rolled out a number of platforms to enable the people to lodge a report, and subsequently strengthening consumer protection initiatives.
Among the platforms included the ezAdu application, which enable users to lodge complaints with the ministry.
Developed in 2015, ezAdu was enhanced last year to enable consumers to channel complaints via their smartphones.
"Nevertheless, I would like to advice consumers engaging in online transactions to check all information before conducting any transaction.
"This is to protect all of your from being duped," he said.
The government, he said, aspired to produce consumers who are smart and capable, as well as ethical traders.
"Therefore, various consumerism programmes have been designed by the ministry to empower consumers, to educate them on financial literacy, as well as make decisions related to purchasing and seeking compensation."