Complaints surge as families struggle with scams and rising costs

Consumer complaints in Fiji have risen sharply in recent years, reflecting growing pressure on households facing rising living costs, scams and everyday consumer issues.

The Consumer Council of Fiji told the Standing Committee on Social Affairs that complaints increased to 5406 in the 2023–2024 financial year, compared with 3545 complaints during the 2020–2021 COVID-19 period.

The council said the increase reflected a changing consumer landscape, particularly following major financial losses linked to online scams and continued cost-of-living pressures.

Consumer Council chief executive officer Seema Shandil said the spike in complaints was largely driven by the collapse of a major online scam case, alongside ongoing economic challenges faced by families.

“2023-2024 was the highest because of the eBay scam that collapsed, and a lot of people lost their money,” she said.

She said that beyond scams, everyday disputes such as landlord and tenancy matters and food-related complaints continued to dominate the council’s workload.

Meanwhile, Opposition MP Praveen Bala questioned whether funding levels were sufficient to support growing public awareness needs, especially in rural and maritime communities.

Ms Shandil said while the council continued to meet its performance targets, more resources were needed for outreach and education.

“We would say we would want more because of the amount of work required,” she said.

“We need to go out more to advocate and educate our people.”

Committee chairperson Iliesa Vanawalu questioned whether consumer complaints were fully reflected in budget planning, to which Ms Shandil confirmed funding had increased in recent years despite a dip during the COVID-19 period.

She added that operational costs remained a challenge, especially as inflation reduced the real value of Government grants while demand for services continued to grow.

The council also told the committee that it did not have enforcement powers and instead relied on regulators such as the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission, Fiji Police Force, municipal councils and the Land Transport Authority to act on serious cases.

Despite this, Ms Shandil said collaboration had improved outcomes, particularly in resolving complaints requiring legal enforcement or regulatory action.

The council further warned that rising fuel and transport costs were expected to place additional pressure on prices, although no major immediate spike had yet been recorded in monitored supermarket goods.