Information and Client Affairs Directorate Quality Service Charter

Contents

Who we are

When and how to contact us

Information protected

Our services and standards

Consumer complaints and queries

Complaints Unit - Freephone 8007 4400

Mediation

Consumer Claims Tribunal

Consumer Information and Education

Door-to-door licences

How you can help us

How we monitor our performance

If you are not satisfied with our service

Learning from you!

Who we are

At the Information and Client Affairs Directorate within the Consumer and Competition Division, we maintain an ongoing education and information campaign to ensure that consumers and traders are aware of their rights and obligations.  We are also responsible for dealing with queries and complaints made by consumers, the administration of the Consumer Claims Tribunal, and the issuance of licences to door-to-door sellers.

Our charter tells you about our services and the standards that you can expect from us in line with the recommendations of the Charter Support Unit.  Through our charter we are committing ourselves to providing you with a quality service, on time.

When and how to contact us

We are open during the following hours:

You can contact us by:

• visiting or writing to the :      Information and Client Affairs Directorate

                           Consumer and Competition Division

                           ‘Office for Fair Trading’

                           Cannon Road

                           St Venera CMR 02

or at:                          Consumer Affairs Office

                                  4, Old Mint Street

                                   Valletta CMR 02

• phoning us on:        2144 6250 / 2122 7070 / 2123 9892 or

Freephone 8007 4400

• sending us a fax on:           2144 6258

• sending us an email on:        fair.trading@gov.mt

• accessing our website on:        www.mcmp.gov.mt

  Gozo residents can contact us by:

• visiting or writing to the:    Consumer Affairs Office

                                                     Ministry for Gozo

                      St Francis Square

                                                     Victoria

                                                     Gozo, VCT 102

• phoning us on:        2210 0273

• send us an email on:           fair.trading@gov.mt

 When you visit our offices, we will:

• welcome you in a clean and friendly environment

• be courteous and helpful at all times

• serve you within 15 minutes.

  When you write to us we will:

• acknowledge your correspondence within one working day of receipt of your letter

• send an initial reply within five working days of receipt

• try to settle clear-cut cases within 15 working days

• send a reply for more complex cases within ten working days of initial reply

• keep you informed of progress on complex complaints at least every ten working days.

When you phone us we will:

• answer promptly and identify ourselves

• on your request, give you an appointment within five working days from when you contact us

• if we cannot answer your query ourselves, we will put you in contact with someone who can help you.

  When you send us an email, we will:

• send you an immediate acknowledgement

• send you an initial reply within five working days of receipt

• send you a reply to more complex correspondence within ten working days of initial reply

• keep trying to reach an amicable solution up to a period of two months, if case is not settled within 15 working days.

You can also visit our website or ask for information and we will provide you with the most accurate information available to us.  Periodically, we also publish articles on various consumer related topics.

Information protected

All personal information provided is protected and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2001.  We also apply the Consumer Affairs Act (Chapter 378) of the Maltese Laws.

Our services and standards

Our responsibility is to protect you, as a consumer, to ensure that you have access to basic, essential goods and services.  This will enable you to choose from a range of products and utilities, all of which should be of a satisfactory quality and offered at competitive prices.

Consumer complaints and queries

You can call at the office during opening hours to lodge a complaint or make a query.  You can also:

• send us an e mail, letter, fax or use our Freephone      

• lodge a complaint, ask for information or give us a suggestion by accessing www.servizz.gov.mt

We will:

• do our best to attend to you within 15 minutes when you call personally at our office

• send you an acknowledgement within one working day from when we receive your correspondence

• send you an initial reply within five working days from when we receive your correspondence

• keep you informed every ten working days on progress of work up to a maximum of two months, if case is not cleared within 15 working days.

Complaints Unit - Freephone 8007 4400

You can contact us through our Freephone which you can use daily on a 24-hour basis.  You can leave a recorded message when you phone during out-of-office hours.    We will then contact you in the morning of the following working day.   All enquiries received are entered into a computer system, and if the queries do not concern our Division, these are electronically transmitted to the relevant entity on the same day.  We will communicate the results of any action taken by the same entity as soon as the relevant information is communicated to us.

Mediation

You have the right to receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation for lack of conformity, unsatisfactory goods or services.  We will commence mediation within three working days from the date your complaint is registered with our office.  You will be provided with an update of developments within five working days, and in cases where no amicable solution can be reached, we will inform you that you can either:

• submit a claim before the Consumer Claims Tribunal

• continue with the mediation for up to a total of two months

• withdraw or drop the complaint.

Efforts to reach an amicable settlement for all complaints can go on up to a maximum period of two months, with the exception of a few categories of cases, namely those against public entities made by complainants not resident in Malta, and where the request is for the honouring of an existing agreement and not for monetary compensation.   When you choose to refer their case to the Consumer Claims Tribunal, we will issue the relevant Clearance Notes and send them to the Consumer Claims Tribunal by the 15^th day of the following month.   At this point, we will no longer be able to intervene in your case, since it will then fall under the responsibility of the Secretary to the Consumer Claims Tribunal.

Consumer Claims Tribunal

This Tribunal is a less expensive and a faster means by which you can seek redress than having to go to court.  The Tribunal may hear claims about the hire or purchase of goods or services if the value of the claim for compensation does not exceed the sum of Lm1,500. For further information regarding your case with the Consumer Claims Tribunal you can phone the secretary on telephone number 21227070.

Consumer Information and Education

Consumers should be given all the necessary information needed so as to be able to make informed choices.  As a consumer, you should be given adequate opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills, while being aware of basic consumer rights and responsibilities.   We offer:

• advice to consumers and traders about their rights and responsibilities by means of leaflets, press releases, seminars, talks and also through participation on radio and television programmes.  During live radio programmes, queries which are raised by the public through phone-ins are possibly given an immediate reply

• a quarterly newsletter ‘Fair Deal’, which offers updated and easy to follow information

• talks to students of primary and secondary schools

• articles for publication in school magazines aimed at teachers and students from primary to tertiary level.

Door-to-door licences

Certain conditions apply in the case of issuance of licences for door-to-door sellers.  These conditions are given to every licencee in order that they are followed.   When applications for such licences are sent to our office, we will:

• process a licence within eight working days from when we receive the application, which will have to include the requested documentation and fee

• issue a receipt immediately  if application is brought to our office

• issue a receipt on the same day when we receive application by post.

How you can help us

To get the most from our services, you can help us by:

• being courteous and helpful with all our staff when you contact our office

• explaining clearly and briefly the nature of your complaint or query – remember that there will be other people waiting their turn

• keeping the dates of your appointment

• bringing your valid Identity Card with you

• providing us with all the relevant information or documents when making a complaint.

How we monitor our performance

Assessing how well we perform against our charter standards is an important element for your satisfaction.  We maintain our standards by taking into consideration queries, complaints and requests we receive from you, and by conducting customer surveys.  We also review our charter standards periodically.

If you are not satisfied with our service

If you think that we have failed to maintain our service delivery standards for our services, and you want to lodge a complaint, please send an email on fair.trading@gov.mt or write to the Director. We apply the same standards of service we use for correspondence, and will investigate your complaint immediately.

Learning from you!

We welcome any suggestions for service improvement.  Kindly forward us your suggestions by filling in the Feedback Form attached to this leaflet, and leaving it in the suggestion box at our office.  You can also lodge a complaint, make a suggestion or ask a question by visiting www.servizz.gov.mt.

All information is correct at time of going to print.  You can find more information on the Charter Support Unit’s and the Information and Client Affairs Directorate’s websites.

Implemented October 2005

Published by the Charter Support Unit, OPM

www.servicecharters.gov.mt

Printed at the Government Press