Why “Goods sold are not returnable” in Ghana?

This is a common sign in many shops in Ghana and no one has ever had the courage to question this statement. Words like buyer remorse, warranty (or guarantee) are scarce in Ghana’s shops, businesses. Consumers take or leave whatever is presented before them, there is little room for consumer’s choice or consumer protection.

Why should this be so? Is that the goods purchased are so good that I will not need return them or rather the goods are so poorly made that the seller is only interested in pushing them to the consumer? Where is consumer protection in Ghana? Ghana is the place where the customer or consumer is no king or at least has no rights?

An overview of what Ghanaian consumers face will be helpful here. There are still products on the markets that are not properly labeled. It is either the language is not English, if it is, it may be bad English (grammar). The label may say one thing while the contents of the product may be different. The product and its content may not have be handled hygienically. There are times where the product is damaged at the point of purchase, but its being sold probably at the price of one that is not damaged.

What about product standards, there are electronic and electrical gadgets on the Ghanaian market that are meant for countries with 110 volts, or have plugs that are not compatible with sockets in homes and offices. For these products one has to purchase a step-up stabilizer or an electric adaptor all at the consumer’s expense. We cannot talk of food standards. Go to our markets, all our tomatoes, pepper and food ingredients are on the floor or in the mud, sand, covered with dust, flies. I will stop here.

What about consumer protection in service delivery? There are businesses in Ghana that have service packages that do not meet customers’ needs at all, yet they are in business. What about those universities and schools which have no access points for the disabled who are also service consumers?

How long will it take to have a Consumer Protection Law in place when every trader or business person is taking consumers for a ride?

I personally don’t think that we necessarily need to have a consumer protection law in place for consumer’s rights to be respected. We must begin to demand what we need and pay for what we want. We need to sue some producers, distributors and sellers for breach of legitimate expectations.

We must boycott the shops that have that sign “goods sold are not returnable”

Dode Seidu