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Complaining to Profeco... It Does Work!

If you live in Mexico, you have surely wanted to complain more than once regarding a purchase of a bad product or a service poorly provided. 

The Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer, also referred to as the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Procuraduria Federal del Consumidor in Spanish, abbreviated Profeco) is the institution responsible for defending consumer rights, guarding against abuses and ensuring fair consumer relations. Mexico is the first Latin American country to create a prosecutor office and the second to pass a law on the matter.

If you have ever thought that there is no point in complaining to Profeco, you need to think again because according to the institution, out of the 110,000 complaints taken in annually, there is a settlement reached in favor of the consumer in 81% of the cases; for every 100 pesos claimed, 83 pesos are given back.  

In an interview published in the February 2012 edition of Dinero Inteligente, Bernardo Altamirano, head of Profeco, claims that the real eyes of the prosecutor office are set on the consumers themselves, who through their complaint or formal accusation become advocates for other consumers.

"$1,015,000 pesos were recovered in 2010 and almost $900 million in November 2011; and this only in direct settlements," he says.

The procurator** explains in Dinero Inteligenge that people should know the difference between a complaint and a formal accusation: a complaint is made by a consumer who has endured abuse or a commercial issue/problem, while in a formal accusation, direct harm against the consumer in particular does not need to exist.

Complaints are taken up for consideration and/or disposed of on average within 68 days and in 20 days via Concilianet, Profeco’s online service for complaints and grievances.  

In the case of a formal accusation, the consumer is not required to submit evidence of the transactions for which formal accusations have been made nor are they required to provide their particulars. The only requirement is to provide information which makes identifying the supplier possible.

As far as this latter point, Altamirano comments that the institution he directs takes in 50,000 complaints each year and verifications are made from these, for example, verifying that scales are well calibrated, or verifying that labeling/packaging complies with Official Mexican Standards.

If these regulations are not met, most of the products are withdrawn from circulation and subjected to laboratory tests. Warnings are also issued, recommending that people not purchase a particular product or service. 

According to Altamirano, Profeco seeks t priority to those complaints or formal accusations that entail any health risks.

If you experience or detect poor service or product quality, the Prosecutor Office offers alternative ways for making your complaint or formal accusations:

  • By calling 5568-8722 if within Mexico City (also known as México D.F., or simply D.F) and the metropolitan area; or if long distance, by calling 01 800 468 8722, toll free
  • Through its website : www.Profeco.gob.mx

**procurator:  a government attorney empowered to act for you, with various kinds of penal and/or civil authority, including defense of the State in civil matters

Source: http://www.cnnexpansion.com

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