Some businesses are skirting the law to benefit by increasing the prices of regulated and price-controlled items, says the Consumer Council of Fiji.
In a statement, the council said they were aware of the increase in prices and had also received tip-offs from consumers.
The council stated it conducted survey spot-checks based on the information received from consumers as well as registered complaints and expressed concern with the increase in the prices of regulated or price-controlled items by certain businesses.
The council added it appeared some businesses were skirting the law to benefit off the suffering of consumers and strongly urged businesses to refrain from this.
“It is an added burden to consumers who are already stretching finances to make ends meet,” the statement read.
“When consumers shop and are on a budget, increasing prices of items that are price-controlled places them at a disadvantage.
“For these instances, we have issued businesses with warning letters and flagged the cases to regulatory authorities for enforcement.”
