This is enough to give ideas to the 36 million consumers who no longer want to let things go. More than 5,000 cases were taken to court or brought before the courts between 2018 and 2021. The first indicator of this trend are disputes relating to consumer law, which are increasing year on year. This trend will certainly continue in the future.
Household purchasing power has been crushed with the 10.1% inflation recorded at the end of February 2023, but this inflation will settle over time, predicts the High Commission Office for Planning. Suffice to say that the law on consumer protection has a bright future ahead. Lawyer Abdelatif Laamrani has noted this for some time in his files. ‘‘Customers are attacking banks more and more in court’’, testifies this lawyer who represents credit institutions. He explains it by “an awareness” and “the economic crisis” concomitant with the Covid-19 pandemic. “The financial and real estate sectors concentrate the majority of complaints. This is a trend noted at the level of our 21 counters”, reports the president of the National Federation of Consumer Associations, Ouadi Madih. These counters received 5,541 complaints in 2022. “Consumer law has been well accepted by litigants. Even if people do not yet adhere sufficiently to consumer protection associations”, notes for his part Younes Anibar, Esq., lawyer at the Casablanca Bar Association. The voice of the consumerist movement is thus becoming increasingly audible in the courts of justice, with an average of 1,309 disputes per year. Our interlocutor regrets that certain provisions are not sufficiently used even though they are “ very interesting ”. These are articles 12 and 13 relating to information on delivery times.
A consumer can, without recourse to justice, break his commitment with a supplier who is out of time. “ There is still room to counter abusive commercial practices, hence the importance of raising awareness and empowering the general public even more. The Ministry of Education can also play this role at school level,” suggests the National Federation of Consumer Associations.
Faiçal FAQUIHI
