The BCCEC is pleased to reintroduce its Monthly Member Spotlight, highlighting members from our various classes of membership so that you can get to know them better. For the month of February:
Consumer Protection Commission
Consumer Protection Commission
Who is the person in charge and what year was your company founded?
The Commissioner Protection Commission (CPC) is managed by Executive Director Machelle Carroll and under her leadership, the Commission’s theme for this year is FOCUS: Facilitating, Organized, Creative, Unified Service within the CPC. Its enabling legislation is the Consumer Protection Act of 2006.
Describe what your business provides for its customers and what makes your business stand out.
The Commission provides mediation services to consumers who may have a complaint against the seller of a good or the provider of a service in the local marketplace.
As the primary agency charged with consumer protection and education in The Bahamas, the Commission stands out as an innovative, forward-thinking agency with a visionary leader who continues to pave the way for a more effective organization.
How important is it for a business to become a member of its local Chamber of Commerce?
There is power in numbers. The Chamber of Commerce advocates for and on behalf of the collective interests of its members to the Government of The Bahamas. A non-member would have to do so on its own as an individual business.
What are some of your company's successes or achievements that you are most proud of?
i. Expanding the Commission's staffing complement from three (3) to twenty-three (23) and establishing three (3) new departments:
Human Resources,
Accounts,
Education, Research, and Training, to complement the previously existing:
a. Complaints and Investigations and
b. Marketing & Public Relations.
ii. The training of Family Island Administrators to the work of the Consumer Protection Commission, with a view to expanding the presence of the Commission on the islands.
iii. Establishing our very own talk show, The Consumer Voice, which airs the second Tuesday monthly on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM, with host Dwight Strachan.
iv. Conceptualizing and executing FIVE major campaigns in educating consumers on their rights under the legislation including:
A Receipts and Refund Campaign,
A Shopping Survey (Online and Face-to-face)
A South Beach Community Outreach & Walk-a-bout in Conjunction with The Royal Bahamas Police Force
Additional Pop-Ups/Walk-a-bouts at:
a. Southwest Shopping Plaza and surrounding community,
b. Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza and surrounding community,
c. Palmdale Shopping Plaza and the surrounding community,
Business/Merchants Compliance Outreach and Walk-a-bout:
d. Bay Street
e. Shirley Street
Where do you see your business in 12 months?
We plan to have already mastered the art of resonating with our niche as the go-to within our industry and elevating to the status of an authority.
It is envisioned that along with that elevation, we would have relocated to a new and expanded office space with an increased budget that would allow for:
i. An office with staff to be established on each of the Family Islands.
ii. A state-of-the-art media room to assist the Commission in the production of professionally produced PSAs and other publications.
iii. Additional vehicles at the commission’s disposal with the objective of broadening outreach within the business and residential community.
What advice would you offer to someone starting their own business?
First, a good management team is more important than startup capital. Second, it is also important to establish a code of ethics to encourage ethical conduct, business honesty, integrity, and best practices. This will ensure your company’s alignment and compliance with the Consumer Protection Commission and/or any other regulator under which your business may fall.
Describe what a perfect day outside of work would look like for you.
Certainly spending quality time with family and loved ones over food and drinks is the ideal vision of a typical day off.
However, the Consumer Protection Commission’s work is never done and the perfect day outside of work would still encompass keeping a watchful eye out for unscrupulous business practices and/or planning initiatives that would further our objectives to ensure that the local marketplace remains fair for businesses and of course, consumers.
For all of your consumer complaints and solutions, contact CPC!
Telephone: 242-393-7795 - 7
Website: https://www.cpcbahamas.gov.bs/
Follow us on Facebook >>> https://www.facebook.com/cpc242
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