QCOSTARICA — A series of irregularities in consumer information and compliance with technical regulations in the products sold by “outlets” was reported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), together with the Fiscal Control Police and the Ministry of Health, in 18 outlet stores.
The report highlighted that 100% of the audited businesses failed to comply with some aspect of the information required in the guarantee certificate, 87% did not respect the minimum legal guarantee period of 30 business days.
Additionally, 73% of stores did not provide consumers information in Spanish, and 67% did not clearly inform exchange policies.
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More than 1,700 products were seized, including expired medications and biomedical equipment without health registration, which represents a considerable risk for consumers.
Related: “Outlet” and “Off-Price” Formats Growing in Costa Rica
“Many stores did not include essential information on invoices and transferred the responsibility of reviewing products to customers,” highlighted Cynthia Zapata, director of Consumer Support at MEIC.
Given this situation, the Costa Rica Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for the inspection actions and requested the intensification of control tasks to ensure compliance with regulations and protect consumers.
“The intervention of the General Directorate of Customs should be the center of the discussion of this problem, since the root of the problem is the irregular importation of merchandise, with declarations that omit to include products subject to technical notes and with import values that do not reflect the true customs value,” said Alonso Elizondo, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.
“There are significant challenges in controlling these imports. Inconsistencies in value declarations and the use of unfair practices to evade taxes continue to be recurring problems. Customs must strengthen their inspection mechanisms and adopt advanced technologies for the verification of goods and the exchange of information with other countries,” highlighted Ana Lucía González, tax expert and CEO of Stratega.
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