The Consumer Council of Fiji says it has recently received a lot of complaints against unscrupulous traders trying to profiteer at the expense of Fijians who are already facing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council chief executive officer Seema Shandil said between April 19 and May 19 – since the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the country – 32 per cent of total complaints registered with the council were against essential service providers such as supermarkets, dairy shops and pharmacies.

She said at present, with ongoing lockdowns and conditional lockdowns, many consumers had been severely affected either through loss of jobs or reduction in incomes.

“This is certainly not the time to increase prices and make excess profits. Consumers are already suffering,” Ms Shandil said.

“Issues such as exorbitant prices of personal protective equipment (PPEs), conditional selling, sale of expired food products and the breach of the Price Control Order continue to be on the rife despite numerous advisories and warnings issued by the council.”

She said those businesses inflating prices to profit off the backs of their communities were severely contributing to the socio-economic challenges being faced by Fijians.