While it is the madness of shopping in malls, the time has come to take stock of what has annoyed you, as a consumer, for a year. Purchases of used vehicles and household appliances once again stand out for the large number of complaints they elicit. While Amazon enters the list of the 10 most denounced companies to the Office of Consumer Protection (OPC).
Whether online or in-store, every purchase unfortunately exposes us to a series of potential frustrations. Delivery problems, non-compliant product, difficulty in honoring the legal warranty, disrespect of the displayed price, abusive clauses in contracts… the list is long.
Over the past year, nearly 22,000 complaints have been registered by the OPC. Of course, the greater the volume of business a company has, the more likely it is to make people unhappy. The winners in question here must therefore be read with this consideration in mind.
That’s actually why I was surprised to see that it took Amazon so many years to become part of the top 10. We do not know its sales figures in Quebec, but to see the number of delivery trucks displaying its logo in the streets, it is clear that the American giant is not lacking in popularity.
In the past year, 147 Quebecers have contacted the OPC to file a complaint against Amazon, mainly for problems with delivery, payment or product compliance. It’s both little (out of millions of potential customers) and a lot (it’s enough to occupy the 9e ranking rank).
Do consumers believe that it is futile to file a complaint against a company established outside Quebec? Maybe.
However, this is not the case, assures the spokesman of the OPC, Charles Tanguay, giving the example of Canada Pardon Service. The Ontario company, which “offers a totally useless and very expensive criminal records erasure service”, he summarizes, pleaded guilty in 2021 to various offenses Consumer Protection Act (LPC). The OPC had received a hundred complaints about him.
Farestore, does that mean anything to you? This ranking intruder has sparked a flood of complaints after he mistakenly advertised a $250 flight to Europe. The displayed price was not respected, which is illegal and has been denounced by the popular site Flytrippers.
As for Star Laser, it is a laser hair removal company in Montreal whose customers left in the lurch number in the hundreds.
Used vehicles and household appliances continue to top the list of most problematic areas.
It must be said that the shortage of new vehicles has caused sales of used cars to explode. The number of complaints increased by 6% to reach 3,324. This represents 15% of all complaints handled by the OPC over the past year. Consumers complained about misrepresentations, omission of material facts and various prohibited pricing practices.
As for household appliances, consumers mainly complain about the reliability of appliances and the difficulty of having legal and traditional warranties honored. The problem is that you often have to turn to small claims, which currently take at least two years.
When your fridge fails prematurely, you can’t wait that long to replace it.
“We talk about small claims, but often it is settled at the time of the formal notice. Which just requires a letter, ”argues Charles Tanguay.
Option consommateurs also receives calls about the legal warranty which, I remind you, provides that a good must operate normally for a reasonable period of time given its price.
“People want to know their remedies. You have to explain to them how it works, ”reports the organization’s lawyer and budget advisor, Sylvie De Bellefeuille. In his opinion, this free guarantee “is good on paper”, but you still have to understand how it works to assert your rights.
The renovation and construction industry ranks third among the sectors that make you sweat the most. Here, the quality of the work is not at stake, because the OPC rather takes note of complaints about misleading commercial practices or the non-respect of the price in the contract.
“Problems in renovation and construction have dethroned the furniture sector in third position, probably because, in particular, of the scarcity of labor in this field and the increase in the price of materials”, specifies Charles Tanguay .
The year was also marked by a chaotic recovery in the travel industry. Flight delays and cancellations have increased the number of air travel complaints.
I remind you that some disputes can be resolved quickly and free of charge with the Parle platform. This year, nearly 2,000 cases have been treated there. The average time is 21 days, and 91% of the time, to the satisfaction of the consumer.
Happy shopping!
Dear readers, do not hesitate to write to me to tell me about your misadventures as consumers or simply let me know what annoys you. Your stories and your questions inspire my columns!