Consumer and Market:

More Protection Is Necessary, but Too Much Is Harmful

Abstract

The message accompanying the bill that reforms Chile's Consumer Protection Policy reveals a clear institutional weakness in this area and the precariousness of Sernac (Servicio Nacional del Consumidor, Chile's consumer protection agency) as an enforcement body. The proposed change seeks to: strengthen the agency in matters of enforcement, sanctions, and interpretation of the law, among others; end the role of the Local Police Courts (Juzgados de Policía Local) in resolving infractions involving individual interests, transferring complaints to Sernac and compensation claims to the ordinary courts of justice; Continue reading...