The Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) functions as part of the Consumer and Corporate Regulation Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and is committed to protecting consumers against unfair business practices. It does this through complaints resolution, investigations, prosecutions, education and voluntary compliance programmes. The OCP will negotiate and mediate on behalf of consumers or if necessary will refer consumers to the appropriate industry ombudsman or regulatory body.

In a recent Atlantic Sun article, “The office of the consumer protector is in your corner”, Brian Joss states that “the OCP in Cape Town does have teeth and they will help resolve issues, big or small”. As one example he tells the story of a company which only agreed to give a customer a refund and admitted to misleading her about a printer cartridge voucher once the OCP had stepped in. Do you know of other cases in which the OCP has intervened on behalf of a consumer?

The OCP can be contacted via the dti Customer contact centre at 0861 843 384 or by email to consumer@pgwc.gov.za