The nature of citizens' appeals on trade issues reflects the stability of the consumer market in the Vitebsk region

The number and nature of citizens' appeals regarding trade and services reflect the stability of the consumer market in the Vitebsk region. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the department for work with citizens' and legal entities' appeals of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, following an analysis of appeals received by the regional executive committee and local executive committees in 2012.

The proportion of appeals concerning trade and services in the total number of appeals to the regional executive committee is 3%, and to city and district executive committees - 4%. "The number and nature of citizens' appeals regarding trade and services reflect the stability of the consumer market. Since the second half of 2012, there have been no mass complaints from citizens about the absence of certain socially significant food products in the retail network or price increases for them," the department reported.

According to specialists, timely measures taken to support socially vulnerable categories of citizens played a role in this. Agreements have been concluded between executive committees and trade organizations for the sale of goods at discounts to certain population categories, 6.7 thousand discount cards have been issued, of which 5.5 thousand have been provided to citizens for service in 430 stores. Last year, according to the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's assessment, goods worth Br3.4 billion were sold to low-income citizens.

Within the structure of trade-related appeals, issues of consumer rights protection have become predominant. In the opinion of specialists, the reasons for such appeals include violations by economic entities, as well as low legal awareness of citizens, and unfounded claims by consumers who prefer to use administrative resources rather than the court as an instance for resolving such disputes. To prevent complaints, specialists from the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's trade and services department provided 155 oral consultations on consumer rights protection issues.