Complaints related to online purchases registered at Procon-SP in 2021 grew 536% compared to 2019 – the last year before the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. There were 498,877 complaints in 2021 against 301,672 in 2020, and 78,419 in 2019. The data, released today (11), are from Procon-SP.
According to the foundation, the growth in complaints resulted from the covid-19 pandemic and the change in shopping habits. “This increase, which has worried us, occurred due to the pandemic, a context in which commercial establishments had to be closed overnight and were not prepared to provide a service in a virtual way”, said the executive director of Procon- SP, Guilherme Farid.
The main consumer complaints are related to delays or non-delivery of products; followed by undue charges. Procon-SP also highlighted reports of sales made by fake websites or fake social media profiles.
“As a consumer protection measure and in order to ensure that they have a place to complain if they have a problem, Procon-SP created the Verified Company seal. The tool certifies that the company is registered in the Procon-SP Digital System, a platform on which it is possible to make complaints, denouncements and ask questions.
Procon-SP’s recommendation is that the purchase be made from companies that are registered in the system, that is, those that have made their data available to the defense agency and signed the registration with the digital certificate.
