By Lusekelo Philemon
The
Fair Competition Commission (FCC) has seized over 300 suspected
counterfeit Sumsung mobile phone handsets and its accessories.
This is a result of a combined task force between police and FCC
officials who led an impromptu storming of the Arusha city’s market
outlets .
The suspected fake handsets and accessories have street value of over 215m/- .
Inspector from the FCC’s anti-counterfeit unit, Michael David said:
“We’re stepping up the fight against cheap, counterfeit handsets now
flooding the country’s market.”
He warned traders against selling such devices and Tanzania would
not be used as dumping ground for inferior and possible hazardous
electronic devices.
He said the seizure is a result of an impromptu inspection carried out across the tourist city of Arusha.
According to David, about 359 mobile phone handsets worth 215,400,000/- were seized in different market outlets in the city.
“Some of the compounded mobile phone handsets are being branded as
Mixc on the cover but, when you open it, they are being labelled as
Sumsung. This is wrong and cannot be tolerated,” the official said,
adding that the consignment will be destroyed.
He blamed unscrupulous businessmen for using people’s ignorance by selling them counterfeit mobile phones.
David called on people to inculcate a culture of buying mobile phones from authorised dealers.
“We are going to carry-out a countrywide campaign against the vice,” he said.
FCC is an independent government body established to promote and
protect effective competition in trade and commerce and to protect
consumers from unfair and misleading market conduct.
The commission is mandated to make necessary interventions to
ensure that competition is allowed to regulate the competitive market.
It also intervenes to prevent significant market dominance, price fixing
and extortion of monopoly rent to the detriment of the consumer and
market instability.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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