THE Consumer Protection Commission has launched a blitz against businesses that were rejecting Point-of-Sale machines, making it mandatory for all businesses to accept transactions made using swipe machines.

POS machines reduce the risk as people falling prey to robbers as they do not have to carry large amounts of cash to pay for goods and services.

Consumers will also be protected from unfair business practices like being denied their right to buy when they have the money, but do not want to tramp around with cash in their pockets, rather carrying a simple card that in many cases can be connected to both ZiG and US dollar bank accounts and can be “swiped” for both currencies, with the consumer choosing the currency in most cases.

In a statement yesterday, the commission said it noted with concern the practice by some unscrupulous businesses who were operating without point-of-sale machines.

It said this was in clear violation of the laws of the country and infringing consumers’ right to choose when carrying out their daily transactions.

The Consumer Protection Commission said the Consumer Protection Act Section 51 (h) prohibits businesses from engaging in any unfair trade practices, which included, but were not limited to violating consumers’ right to choose.

“To protect consumers from unfair business practices, the Consumer Protection Commission is carrying out an enforcement blitz, starting with the fuel retail industry where several service stations have been found wanting and issued with compliance notices by the commission in line with Section 68 of the Act.

“The commission found out that out of the 27 service stations inspected, 80 percent of them did not have point-of-sale machines,” said the statement.

The Consumer Protection Commission said the enforcement blitz was being extended to all businesses so that they comply with provisions of the law.

“Those businesses found not to be complying will be penalised in line with the requirements of the law,” reads the statement.

The Consumer Protection Commission said the Finance Act Number One of 2018, which amended Section 10 of the Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Act required businesses to acquire any device that facilitated the electronic payment of its goods or services.

It also required for the facilitation of the payment of its goods or services electronically using a mobile telephone or computer.

“Members of the public are being urged to assist the commission by reporting businesses not giving consumers the option of swiping for their goods and services through hot line numbers,” read the statement.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Mr Denford Mutashu said all businesses should comply.

“CZR implores all shops formal or informal to comply with regulatory and statutory obligations guiding their operations like installation of working point-of-sale machines for the convenience of transacting public.

“The multi-currency policy is law and both the ZiG and USD are legal tender in equal measure. Banks should expedite issuance of point-of-sale machines across the country’s economy,” he said.

Dr Mutashu added: “It is illegal to deny a consumer access to swipe or pay via mobile platforms in local currency.”

Blessings Chidakwa, Herald Reporter