The Consumer Affairs Authority has carried out more than 1,000 island-wide raids on electrical and electronic goods so far this year, the Daily Mirror reported on Monday.
That total includes 204 raids conducted under a recent special programme. Those raids ran from August 25 to 29, and were resumed on September 8 and 9 on the strength of information gathered during the first round.
More than 1,150 items were seized as case material or taken into official custody during the 204 raids, and legal action is being initiated against those responsible.
What was targeted
The raids focused on extension cords, multi-sockets, plug tops, switch sockets, power cords, LED bulbs, chargers, electrical adapters, torches, electric scales, kettles, irons and power tools.
Officers also checked whether traders kept proper bills, receipts and invoices, whether they could establish where their stock came from, and whether they complied with labelling, product information and warranty rules.
The warranty requirement
The authority put particular weight on the mandatory minimum six-month warranty for the relevant goods. Consumers must be given a written warranty certificate that clearly states the warranty period, the conditions attached and the party responsible for honouring it.
Investigations will not stop at the shop counter
The CAA said it will not confine its inquiries to retailers. Under the applicable law, including Order No. 83, officials can trace the supply chain from the retailer back to the supplier, distributor, importer or manufacturer.
Anyone found to have been involved in an offence at any point along that chain can face legal action — a point the authority made explicitly about suppliers, distributors, importers and manufacturers as well as shopkeepers.
Traders were urged to keep invoices identifying their suppliers and importers, to sell only goods meeting mandatory standards and labelling requirements, and to issue the required warranty certificate. Consumers were advised to take a bill, check the manufacturer or importer details and the relevant standards marks, and confirm the warranty before buying.
The CAA said targeted raids and supply-chain investigations would continue island-wide. Market irregularities can be reported on the authority’s 1977 hotline during office hours.
A widening enforcement drive
The electrical goods operation sits alongside a broader run of CAA action this year, including lawsuits against 84 retailers over imported goods and a raid on a Kollupitiya supermarket over labelling of imported products.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not say how many of the 1,000-plus raids resulted in prosecutions or convictions, what proportion of inspected stock failed, or what the seized goods were worth. It does not name any trader, say whether any importer or manufacturer has yet been pursued up the supply chain under Order No. 83, or give a district breakdown. No other verified newsroom had filed on the figures at the time of writing.
