The SIC alerts on increase in consumer complaints in 2020

The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, in its role as National Authority for Consumer Protection, share with the general public the balance of the complaints received during 2020 in terms of consumer protection, showing that the complaints increased by 106%, while the lawsuits filed to the Deputy Superintendence for Jurisdictional Affairs increased by 24.5%.

In the Deputy Superintendence for Consumer Protection,  the number of complaints presented doubled, going from 13,925 in 2019 to 28,752 in 2020. Last year the sectors where the highest number of complaints were registered were in electronic commerce, point-of-sale purchases at retailers and financing services. Among the most frequent types of consumer complaints are price increases for products in the family basket, price increases prior to days without aggregated tax, and non-compliance with delivery times.

Regarding the protection of users of communications services, last year there was an increase of 93.4% in the complaints received, going from 22,957 in 2019 to 44,398 in 2020. The sector with the most complaints was that of services of telecommunications, where Colombian consumers complained about the termination of contracts and the lack of availability of some services. In the postal services sector, the most recurrent complaints were the delay in delivery times and loss of products during the shipping process.

In the Deputy Superintendence for Jurisdictional Affairs, the lawsuits filed by consumers increased by 24.5% compared to the previous year. 51,844 lawsuits were received during 2019, while in 2020 64,562 were filed. The main claims for which consumers went to the judges were: guarantee in the service, misleading information or advertising, and the right of withdrawal. 

The Superintendent of Industry and Commerce, Andrés Barreto González, informed the community that the SIC has made direct settlement virtual tools available like PREVENSIC and PREVENTIC. These tools offer the possibility to find a solution in the first contact between sellers and suppliers of goods and services, including telecommunications sector. Therefore, it ordered commerce and industry to strictly comply with the regulations and orders that the SIC enforce, in order to guarantee the rights of consumers.