Ministry Of Trade Receives 7,707 Complaint Reports From Consumers Throughout 2023, Here Are The Details

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Consumer Protection and Trade Order (PKTN) of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) seeks to ensure legal certainty and provide protection to all Indonesian consumers by serving 7,707 reports throughout 2023.

Covering 6,018 consumer complaints, 1,274 questions, and 415 information. A total of 7,704 complaint reports (99 percent) have been completed. Meanwhile, three complaints from the housing sector are being processed," said the Director General of PKTN of the Ministry of Trade, Moga Simatupang, quoted from ANTARA, Friday, January 5.

Moga said, PKTN is committed to providing various service facilities and increasing the settlement of complaints as a form of government presence in protecting consumers.

He detailed that consumer complaints received by the Ministry of Trade came from various service channels, namely the WhatsApp messaging application at 0853 1111-10, electronic mail at the complaint. consumer complaints @kemendag.go.id, websites at simpktn.kemendag.go.id, and telephone via (021)3441839. Consumer complaints were also received in writing or came directly to the Directorate General of PKTN.

Consumer complaints include nine sectors, namely the drug and food sector, electronic/motorized vehicles, financial services, tourism services, housing, electricity/gas, telecommunication services, health services, and transportation services. In addition, there are two supporting instruments, namely logistics and commercial services," he said.

The Ministry of Trade, he continued, coordinates with ministries/agencies, provincial governments that handle consumer protection, the Consumer Dispute Settlement Agency (BPSK), and the police in resolving consumer complaints.

Consumer complaints can also be categorized as complete if consumers have received clarification results from business actors and confirm that the complaint has been completed.

"The complaint is also declared complete in the event of an agreement between business actors and consumers. If both parties do not accept or disagree, we suggest proceeding to the BPSK or to the court. Then, the complaint is declared to have been handled at the Ministry of Trade," explained Moga.

The percentage of consumer complaint services related to transactions through electronic/el trading systems is still the highest, which is 7,019 services or 91 percent of the total number of consumer services entered during 2023.

Complaints on transactions via commercial-el include the problem of refilling balances, payment systems on paylaters and credit cards, refunds, purchases of goods that are not in accordance with the agreement or are damaged, and consumers do not receive goods. Complaints also include fraud and the use of non-functional social platform/media applications.

Other largest consumer complaints are the transportation sector and the electronic sector of motorized vehicles. In the transportation service sector, complaints are dominated by purchases, requests for refunds, and rescheduling (reschedule) on airplane and train tickets, as well as car rentals.

Meanwhile, in the electronic sector/motor vehicle, consumer complaints are more about goods that are not in accordance with the promised, goods are damaged, and claim guarantees to service centers.