A. M. 
During the August holiday season, the Defensoría del Consumidor (DC) carried out an extensive verification operation in stores nationwide. The president of the institution, Ricardo Salazar, informed that 498 inspections were carried out to ensure compliance with the Consumer Protection Law.
Salazar highlighted that, within these inspections, 17 cases of expired products were found, totaling 382 articles that were withdrawn and destroyed. Of these, 215 expired products were found in kitchens of food preparation establishments. It was also revealed that among the main findings of non-compliance were 29 establishments that failed to comply with the technical regulations on scales and 19 with a lack of visible prices.
In addition, the president reported that during the holiday period, 3,973 consumers were attended, which represents an increase of 23% compared to the same period of the previous year. Among the main reasons for the Defensoría del Consumidor attention during this holiday period were non-compliance with contracts and offers (44%), followed by undue charges (24%) and over-indebtedness (9%).
Attentions were distributed through 1,395 consultations via WhatsApp and 875 through the 910 call center, facilitating access to consumers and reinforcing compliance with consumer protection regulations.
This operation underscores the Defensoría del Consumidor´s commitment to the safety and protection of consumer rights during the holidays.
