WILLEMSTAD - International Consumer Day is celebrated worldwide today. The world will reflect on the basic rights of every consumer. Curaçao has two associations that stand up for the consumer. One of the two recently announced a stop receiving complaints: the Consumer Interests Foundation.
“It's been so busy for so long now that I can't handle it anymore. It also looks like I'm only going to get busier,” says the chair of Consumer Interests, Maria van Os.
In addition to this foundation, there is also the Fundashon pa Konsumidó. As a consumer, you can contact both if you have complaints about your purchase and/or about your service provider. Now that Consumer Interests is introducing a ban on complaints, consumers can only turn to the Fundashon pa Konsumidó. And not everyone is happy about that.
Consumers
Nydia, Sonja and Geoffrey all chose to submit their complaints to Consumer Interests and not to Funashon pa Konsumidó. It doesn't do anything, according to Nydia. “You are sent from pillar to post and simply not helped.” She asked those around her and therefore decided to go to Consumer Interests.
The same goes for Sonja and Geoffrey. Sonja: “I heard from so many friends that their service is bad. I was told that it all takes so long for a complaint to be dealt with. It is a prayer without end.” Geoffrey finds it a worrying situation if only Fundashon pa Konsumidó still handles complaints. The Fundashon did not want to answer questions about the possible slowness of their complaint handling.
At Consumer Interests, the three complainants were helped immediately. “Maria goes straight to her goal. She takes action the same day,” says Sonja. “She is real and businesslike and stands up for consumer rights. She is 100 percent committed,” adds Geoffrey. “I stayed with her until late at night to make things right and was able to contact Maria every day,” adds Nydia.
Complaints
Figures show that the number of complaints from both consumer associations is virtually the same. There is, however, a difference between the number of resolved complaints. At Fundashon pa Konsumidó, this is almost sixty percent, according to their most recent annual report in 2019.
Press officer Melissa Corea of Fundashon pa Konsumidó would like to say something about the solution percentage now. In the past year, this amounted to eighty percent of the hundred complaints received.
Because the Fundashon has not published any recent annual reports, this figure cannot be verified. Consumer Interests, on the other hand, does have a recent annual report, from 2021. In it, a resolution percentage of almost ninety percent is stated.
According to Corea, the lower number of resolved complaints in 2019 is due to the arrival of the coronavirus. Remarkable, because the coronavirus only arrived in Curaçao in March 2020.
Recent data from Fundashon pa Konsumidó are not available. The annual reports that must be published every year only extend until 2019. According to Corea, there are recent annual reports, but they are not allowed to give them: “On the instructions of the management.”
Money
There is also a difference in financing. Fundashon pa Konsumidó receives a subsidy from the government. In 2019 this was 400,000 guilders. Melissa Corea of Fundashon pa Konsumidó also does not want to say how much subsidy the Fundashon will receive from the government this year. Also on the instructions of the management. The press officer does claim that the Fundashon receives less subsidy than before. Due to the lack of recent annual reports, this cannot be verified.
Consumer Interests does not receive a subsidy from the government. "I do not want that either. I do want to remain independent”, says van Os. “I pay privately, such as for my office supplies and I do not receive a salary.” Maria does try to generate some income through crowdfunding, an advertisement on her site and contributions from consumers with complaints.
There is also a difference in the number of employees. Four employees work at Fundashon pa Konsumidó. “We also deal with other things, besides handling complaints,” says Corea. Consumer Interests, on the other hand, has one unpaid employee and that is Maria herself: "I can't pay salaries."
Slimming
Although Maria van Os has put a stop to complaints for an indefinite period of time, she is also thinking about a slimmed-down version of her foundation.
“But where do you draw the line? Only handle the cases that go to court? That conflicts with the fact that I want to be there for everyone.”