The agencies are preparing to launch a centralized online platform designed to improve how customer issues are handled and resolved.
According to Verne Emmanuel, Director of the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards, the platform is expected to significantly boost the speed and efficiency of complaint resolution by connecting all relevant agencies.
“We normally receive complaints and share information with the Consumer Affairs Department. But this new platform will allow us to share information in quick time with other stakeholders, other regulators, the Consumer Association, and to enable the overall achievement of service delivery to consumers in a manner which is more effective and efficient,” he explained.
Dr. Thecla Fitz-Lewis, President of the National Consumer Association, emphasized the importance of a unified approach to addressing consumer grievances.
“Some consumers are not aware where they channel issues that they have. And we felt there should be a unified portal where persons can channel their complaints. As stakeholders, most times we find there is a lot of duplicity in complaints. We cannot do the same things. So who does a consumer go to when they have an issue?”
The new platform aims to answer that question by serving as a one-stop complaint hub that connects the public directly with the right authority.
Director of the Consumer Affairs Department, Wendy Frederick, noted the broad range of agencies that will be part of the system, including the National Utilities Regulatory Commission (NURC), the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), the National Consumer Association, and the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards.
“If a consumer has a complaint, they would lodge that complaint on the platform. If we have access to it then it will go to the right authority, if it’s an issue with a utility company, for example, it will be routed accordingly.”
The initiative is said by officials to be a significant step toward a more organized and responsive consumer protection ecosystem in Saint Lucia.