I WAS on a visit to the United States recently. A friend told me that a consumer had filed a lawsuit against a juice manufacturing company, because it advertised on TV a product in a tin container, branded as fresh juice.

The consumer’s plea was that juice packed in a tin container could not be fresh as processing the final product involves time before it arrived in the market. Therefore, the claim of the manufacturer and the sellers was false and deceptive. To cut the story short, the consumer won the case, and the manufacturer had to remove the word ‘fresh’ from the label.

In our country, owing to the absence of awareness and effective consumer rights societies and pressure groups, the end users are misled about the products and often deceived by hyped-up advertisements and marketing gimmicks.

Owing to the prevailing pandemic, and being a senior citizen, I have restricted myself to my house, and make monetary transactions through digital banking.

Recently, while trying to pay my credit card bill from my account at the largest bank to a foreign bank in Pakistan, I was unable to execute the transaction, although the option was very much there on the website of the bank. On my complaint I was informed that ‘currently the facility is not available’.

Similarly, when I went to pay my electricity bill through an ATM at another bank, I couldn’t make the payment, although the option was available on the screen. On inquiring from bank officials, I was informed that presently the arrangement was in the process, and would be functional in coming months.

My question is: if a facility is not available, why put it on display? Is this not a deceptive promotional practice? The regulatory authorities concerned need to take notice.

M. K. Sufi

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2020