Consumer complaints in the region regarding defective household appliances like television, refrigerators and air conditioning units have almost doubled from 2015 to 2016.
Figures from the Consumer Protection Division of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Office show that complaints lodged with its offices regarding appliances increased from 63 in 2014, 65 in 2015 and significantly increased to 127 complaints in 2016.
“For 2016, complaints on defective cellphones remained with the most number at 130, followed by appliances with 127, vehicles with 28 and motorcycle related complaints remained at 25,” DTI Regional Director Judith Angeles disclosed.
Moreover, the total number of consumer complaints received by all DTI-3 offices reached 582 for 2016 with Bataan receiving the most with 113.
It was followed by Zambales with 107, Bulacan with 101, Pampanga with 77, Nueva Ecija with 68, Regional Office with 61, Tarlac with 50 and Aurora had the least number with only five complaints.
Meanwhile, complaints about defective cellphones have significantly decreased from 149 in 2015 to 130 in 2016.
Consumer complaints about defective tablets have also significantly decreased from 34 in 2015 to 14 in 2016.
“We attributed this decrease to our conduct of Consumer Rights and Seller Responsibilities orientation workshops with cellphone and gadget sellers and repair shops throughout the region,” Angeles added.