PH: On Consumer Protection and DTI

If you’ve never had a bad incident or scam story in online purchases, good for you. But to those who did on a PH-based business, consider looping in DTI’s Consumer Protection and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB) and you might actually get your money’s worth for those incidents! This thread shows some people and their stories of scams and how the escalation had helped them.

Some sidenotes…

DTI is stingy!#

This story reminded me of past posts throwing a fit to DTI – oh, they’re making online sellers pay taxes! oh, they’re forcing sellers to place prices upfront! Well, guess what, I think all that are vital rules towards the one thing people forget until they need it: consumer protection.

It’s “Trade” and Industry, why hate barter?#

People also think that it’s ironic that DTI is against barter when trade is in the name of the department. Well, trade ≠ barter. Trade involves money. And markets that enable said trades. Markets that need a watchful, neutral party that ensures trades go well for both sides. Bartering between strangers over the internet, in my opinion, is ripe for scams and theft. Having a neutral witness / third-party is soooo important when it comes to transactions, and it baffles me that people are just setting this issue aside like they’re being oppressed. They call issues out because these rules are meant to be upheld by everyone, whether you’re an owner of a big company, or a newbie in selling stuff online.