Consumers complain most about transport sector

The transport service sector received the highest number of customer complaints in 2020, with travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic triggering more disputes than usual.

A report released Monday by the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade says that complaints in the transport sector accounted for 49.1 percent of the total, followed by banking, finance and insurance (9.3 percent), and telephone and telecommunications (8.8 percent).

Tourism and restaurant ranked fourth with 6 percent of customer complaints, says the report, also noting that sectors hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis, like aviation and tourism, have elicited more complaints from customers than in previous years.

Last year, when Vietnam experienced two Covid-19 outbreaks in March and July, the government had imposed stringent travel restrictions to try and curb the spread of the virus.

The VCA said that it had answered 9,965 out of 11,211 calls its center received last year, up 63 percent from the previous year.

Around 56.4 percent of all complaints related to businesses’ violation of commitments. Others related to the quantity and quality of goods as also delivery time. There were complaints about contracts with service providers (7.5 percent) and information provided by sellers (5.2 percent), the report says.

Last year, Ho Chi Minh City topped the list of localities receiving the highest number of customer complaints, followed by Hanoi.