The Consumer Council put its price- monitoring mechanism into effect yesterday as Typhoon Wipha’s presence was felt in Macau.
As typhoon Signal No. 8 was issued yesterday, the council immediately activated its monitoring mechanism.
The mechanism relied very much on the consumers themselves, as the council only opened channels for the public to report suspected price gouging activities.
Consumers were instructed to send information in the form of text, pictures or voice message by WhatsApp. The council did not mention whether the anti-price gouging channel would still operate on non-typhoon days.
Upon receiving the information, the council looks into the materials provided by customers. If necessary, it refers the material to the relevant law enforcement authorities.
The council reminds businesses to expressly list the prices of products and services, and calls on merchants not to engage in price-gouging during typhoon periods to safeguard consumer rights.
Price gouging was reportedly a problem during Typhoon Hato in 2017, when the city faced a brief food and water shortage. AL
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