The agency confirmed that it had formulated a statement of charges against several marketers of said product.
Colombia News.
The commercialization of vapers in Colombia has increased quite significantly.
These types of products that were initially consumed by adults, now their circle of customers has grown even more.
Such is the situation that the education secretariats of different cities have raised alerts because there are institutions in which consumption has become normal.
This concern has reached the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce, an agency that confirmed investigations on marketers of said product on Tuesday “for alleged violation of the consumer protection regime.”
Research
They specify that they seek to determine “if they violated the provisions contained in Law 1480 of 2011, in the offering of products that contain nicotine and other substances that affect health and that are known as -liquids for vapers- and/or -vapers-“.
Adding that these investigations were initiated for several reasons:
- “After the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce received several complaints indicating, among other things, that said businessmen apparently violated the rights of children and adolescents in electronic commerce, by providing misleading information regarding the liquids that were used in the devices called “vapers” and that contained nicotine».
- “As well as for not observing the legal obligations regarding the special conditions that should be informed to consumers for this type of harmful products.”
Similarly, the Superintendence specified that it had “collected various documentation from each of the businessmen, in addition to carrying out administrative inspection visits to the web pages of the aforementioned marketers.”
Evidence collected by the SIC
They add that after analyzing the evidentiary material, the following was established:
- Clear, timely and precise information was not provided regarding the intensity of nicotine offered to users.
- Minimal information was provided in a language other than Spanish.
- It was not indicated in the containers and packaging of the products, clearly and in legible characters, regarding the harmfulness of the products offered, nor the conditions or indications necessary for the correct use of the substances that contain nicotine and that are used with various devices called “vapers”.
- Advertising of products that are harmful to health was broadcast, without clearly warning the public about the harmfulness and the need to consult the conditions, indications for their correct use, as well as the contraindications of the case.
- E-commerce tools were used in which no measures were taken to verify the age of consumers.
- Clauses were included in the adhesion contracts that would be detrimental to the rights of consumers.
The SIC It details that if the violation of these marketers is confirmed, “fines of up to 2,000 SMMLV may be imposed.”
?Attention?
The #SIC filed charges against British American Tobacco Colombia SAS, Inversiones Glu Cloud SAS, Grupo DIY SAS, Lifetech SAS, for alleged violation of consumer rights, regarding the content of vapers➡️ https://t.co/GAksJnAX3Z pic.twitter.com/TghGuCBLjV— Superintendence of Industry and Commerce ?? (@sicsuper) August 30, 2022
