Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
Fake items make shopping for school supplies more challenging
The new school year is around the corner and the streets are filled daily with parents purchasing
An original scientific calculator
school items. However, most parents question the quality of the items purchased, as from experience, shoes, bags, geometry sets, and calculators among others, are damaged within the first three weeks of school.
But in Guyana, there is no legislation in place to make business entities pay for fake and defective products. The parents and market vendors, who purchase items from wholesale companies, are contending that the absence of an avenue for redress has allowed the market to be flooded with items of poor quality and with fake brands.
According to Stevmark Critchlow, Inspector Assistant, Guyana National Bureau of Standards, no company is obligated to compensate a customer for defective items purchased.
If there is a warranty on the item, the body could try and persuade the company on the basis of character, to exchange the item and or refund the customer’s money. He asserted that persons should purchase items only if they have a warranty.
However, obtaining warranty on every item, particularly from a market vendor for a purchase made on a pair of shoes is problematic.
Sigbert Small, a shoe vendor, revealed that vendors are cognizant of customers’ plight but they are helpless as they purchase items from the stores for resale purposes. He emphasized that whenever items are damaged the stores do not exchange them.
“This Government encourages people to bring in poor quality products that cannot be sold in other countries. Some consumers don’t get benefit from the products too long. Vendors cannot take it back because they don’t have anyone to represent them,” Small stated.
In terms of monitoring the quality of products entering the country and or those that are already on shelves in stores, Critchlow revealed that officers from the Bureau of Standards only inspect containers coming into the country. He did not comment as to how often these checks are expedited and if they are done randomly.
Original Helix Geometry Set
Some wholesalers contended that customers have the right to inspect their purchases before leaving their premises. In response to this, customers pointed to the fact that not until some items such as haversacks and shoes are used that the poor quality is revealed.
Ascertaining the authenticity of certain products including scientific calculators, and geometry sets is challenging to shoppers. It was advised that consumers should purchase the American made products even if they are more costly as compared to the China made products.
A wholesaler revealed that the products which are made in China look like those made in America, as such consumers have to pay keen attention to each item purchased such as the Helix Oxford Geometry Set and scientific calculators.
It was noted that certain stores in Georgetown have scientific calculators looking exactly like the American made. They are cheaper but are not long lasting. For instance, the original scientific calculators cost approximately $2,295 and sometimes $2,500. Only the batteries require changing and are durable. Meanwhile, the imitation malfunctions and results in errors.
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