A consumer protection bill is currently with the Ministry of Legal Affairs. In the interim, according to the Interpretation Act, UK law applies.

The National Consumers Association (NCA) is intensifying its efforts to protect consumers after the company received several complaints about false advertising.

NCA President Kingsley St. Hill said that the association had recently been made aware of false advertising by a few companies, especially those within the telecommunications sector. The association, he said, is in the process of cataloguing the ads so that a list can be presented to Consumer Affairs Minister, Emma Hippolyte. The list will demonstrate the need for enactment of the 13-year old draft Consumer Protection Bill. The bill is currently with the Ministry of Legal Affairs. In the interim the NCA said, according to the Interpretation Act, when there is no law in Saint Lucia, the UK law applies. UK law currently states that “all marketing and advertising must be an accurate description of the product or service.” There are also two advertising codes of practice that companies need to follow in order to advertise legally.

Mr. St. Hill has also called on the Director of Standards and Inspectors to carry out his duty under Section 36 of the Metrology Act, to ensure that consumers are not cheated at the butchers, grocers and by utility meters. This, in accordance with Section C of the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection, which urges governments to formulate or promote the elaboration and implementation of standards for the safety and quality of goods.

In a prepared statement, the NCA president said that governments should make every effort to raise standards to internationally accepted levels, and encourage the availability of testing and certifying facilities.

“We must ensure that meters of the utility companies are working correctly and not to the detriment of consumers, in the same way that gas station pumps are verified and authenticated to ensure consumers get what they pay for at the pumps,” the statement said.