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The number of people who consulted consumer service centers across Japan in fiscal 2013 was the highest in nine years, the Consumer Affairs Agency said in a white paper released Wednesday.
The agency reported that there were approximately 925,000 cases of consultation. Agency officials believe the high number is due to an increased amount of trouble experienced by consumers when purchasing items online such as health and other products, NTV reported.
The agency said there was also a spike in people seeking advice about online dating sites and also from parents on how to curb spending by their children on mobile devices.
Consultations have been especially high among the elderly. According to the agency, the number of elderly individuals seeking help has risen by more than 60% over the past five years.
According to the white paper, reported losses related to consumer complaints are estimated to have exceeded six trillion yen.
© Japan Today
3 Comments
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SumoBob
"This scary news article was sponsored by the Japan Pharmaceutical Association, the Japan Medical Association and other vested interests against changing the status quo to allow consumers the choice to make purchases from other vendors at a lower cost."
M3M3M3
I don't want to exaggerate but this is symptomatic of an absence of rule of law in Japan. Consumers here rarely understand what rights they have (or just as often believe they have rights which they do not). Even if they do, its often pointless to sue a company because you must always pay your own attorney's fees even if you win your case. The company has nothing to fear. Your lawyer will advise you that the courts will try everthing they can to rule against consumers if they are unsympathetic plaintiffs that insist on their strict legal rights and a final judgement and refuse to settle. Even if they win their case, it is impossible to collect on a money judgement in Japan unless it is a large company, there are no contempt of court provisions to seize assets or arrest those who disobey a court order.
If more people had basic legal literacy (which I think most foreigners usually do) they might avoid getting themselves into trouble. My experience of talking to people who have dealt with these consumer complaint agencies is that they are rarely effective but can also be really cathartic if you just need someone to listen to your complaint with a sympathetic ear.
SenseNotSoCommon
If it heightens consumer awareness, bring it on. How about examples of the rights their OECD peers enjoy, too!