dinero_admin With the objective of safeguarding the pocket and the rights of consumers, the Defensoría del Consumidor has intensified its inspection actions in salvadoran commerce. According to its president, Ricardo Salazar, during this year more than 2,396 inspections have been carried out nationwide, focused on the verification of fair commercial practices and the detection of irregularities that affect the family economy.
The inspections have revealed non-compliance in key issues such as the sale of expired products, misleading advertising, and the absence of mechanisms for handling complaints. “We detected 1,450 expired products in 125 stores, which were withdrawn from the market to avoid health risks and economic losses to the consumer”, said Salazar, noting that the sanctioning procedures could reach fines of up to 500 minimum wages.
The president of the institution also pointed out that 85 % of the inspected businesses comply with the regulations, but the remaining 15 % have findings that compromise consumer confidence and affect the competitiveness of formal commerce. Likewise, 192 establishments were identified without adequate complaint handling mechanisms, a key provision to protect the buyer and promote balanced commercial relations.
In terms of direct attention, the Defensoría del Consumidor has provided assistance to more than 60,000 consumers in the first half of the year, of which 12,000 corresponded to formal complaints and the rest to legal advice and guidance. This accompaniment is fundamental to empower the population in their consumer decisions and avoid abuses that negatively impact their economy.
These actions are part of a comprehensive government strategy to ensure a fairer, more transparent, and safer commercial environment. The work of the Defensoría del Consumidor is essential to preserve the economic stability of salvadoran families, by preventing practices that violate their rights or involve unnecessary expenses.
