LASCOPA ADDRESSES CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has treated not less than 111 consumer complaints as part of efforts to ensure that consumers’ rights are protected in the State.
The General Manager of LASCOPA, Mrs. Kemi Olugbode who disclosed this recently said that different types of complaints on services and goods purchased are forwarded daily to the Agency by aggrieved consumers.
She said that a total of 70 consumer-complaint cases received by the Agency have been successfully resolved within the short period of five months that the Agency started operations.
Some of the matters involved debt collection and refund of money, impostor scams, telephone and mobile services complaints, and Insurance Policies as well as lotteries and thrifts.
Others are Motor vehicles and Auto related matters, Credit Bureau and bank loans, Consumable goods, Telephone and Electronics sales matters.
According to her, LASCOPA is empowered by the enabling law to file cases in court for the consumer but, the Agency believes in exploring the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) approach which is usually a faster means of settling disputes rather than going to court.
In her words, “It is after all available means have been explored and no resolution reached, that the Agency will then consider it necessary to involve the courts in order to ensure that every consumer complaint reported to the Agency gets a satisfactory resolution”.
She noted that most of the resolved complaints were treated through the alternative dispute resolution method, adding that others are on-going at different stages of resolution.
While noting that the services of LASCOPA are rendered free of charge and at no cost to the consumer, she urged consumers to take advantage of it by forwarding their complaints to ensure that their rights are protected.
Speaking on the process of receiving complaints, she said that consumers can come directly to the office of LASCOPA at 2b, Soji Adepegba Close, Off Allen Avenue, Ikeja to lodge their complaints or send it online to the Agency’s e-mail addresses lascopa@lagosweb.com.ng and lascopa@gmail.com
She further said that consumers with complaints can also call the telephone numbers of the Agency 08124993895, 09064323154, 08092509777.