Domestic Trade Secretary Augusto Costa (photo: Wikipedia)
The previously slow and complicated process to submit a claim for violations of consumer rights has been overhauled and simplified to include a new pre-judicial phase. The changes are part of a new series of measures that were approved last year to improve consumer rights, and which came into effect today.
The new law creates an initial phase in which a licensed mediator conducts a hearing between the consumer and the company. This reduces the need for lawyers, and accelerates the arrival to a settlement.
Following a negative experience with a company, consumers can make claims online, by phone, or by visiting one of the 19 Justice Access Centers (CAJ) in the City of Buenos Aires.
Claims can involve anything related to interactions between consumers and companies, although the most common are malfunctioning products, deceptive advertisement, and problems with payment.
Domestic Trade Secretary Augusto Costa stated the program’s principal goal as “expanding the rights of consumers and favouring a solution to conflicts” in order to “limit the abuses to which consumers are exposed.”
Under the new system, consumers can expect to be assigned an appointment with a mediator within 15 days of the submission of their claim. Companies are obligated to attend, and will be fined for absence.
The new system is not limited to future complaints: claims up to three years old will be accepted. If a settlement is not reached in this pre-judicial phase, only then will lawyers become involved.
“Before, it used to take years to resolve claims. Now, a hearing will take place within 15 days, and within 60 to 90 days the conflict will be resolved,” assures Costa. The hope is that this system will provide a faster, more efficient way for consumers to resolve complaints and hold companies accountable.
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