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| Customers go shopping at a Co.opmart supermarket in Ha Dong district, Hanoi__Photo: VNA |
To be effective on July 1, the new Law on Protection of Consumer Rights gives more rights to consumers while providing priority policies toward vulnerable consumers.
Under the Law, consumers are given the opportunity to choose a healthy and sustainable consumption environment and enjoy the State’s protection when using public services.
As specified by the Law, vulnerable consumers include elderly people, people with disabilities, children, ethnic minority people and those living in ethnic minority-inhabited areas, mountainous areas, islands, areas with difficult socio-economic conditions and areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, pregnant women, women currently nursing their under-3-year infants, people suffering fatal diseases, and members of poor households.
When selling goods or providing services to vulnerable consumers, business organizations and individuals will have to secure the proper exercise of the latter’s rights.
In case a vulnerable consumer files a request for protection, the concerned business organization or individual will prioritize the receipt and processing of such request and may not forward it to a third party for resolution, unless the third party has related obligations.
Business organizations and individuals will pay compensation for damage in accordance with the civil law to vulnerable consumers in case of delaying or refusing to receive and process the latter’s requests.
In addition, the Law specifies more responsibilities of business organizations and individuals toward consumers. Particularly in special transactions such as distance transactions and cyberspace transactions, business organizations and individuals will have to comply with relevant specific regulations.
The English translation of the Law is available on Official Gazette Nos 85-89/2023.- (VLLF)
