The Macau Consumer Council (CCM) announced in a statement yesterday that it recently collaborated with the Shenzhen Consumer Committee to provide cross-border arbitration services via a video meeting for the first time, resolving a consumer dispute between a Shenzhen consumer and a local merchant, which marked a new milestone in the deepening cooperation between consumer protection organisations in Macau and Shenzhen.
According to the statement, a consumer from Shenzhen got into a dispute with a local merchant during a shopping trip to Macau. The statement did not say when the dispute erupted.
After receiving the complaint, the CCM intervened and proposed submitting the case to the Macau Consumer Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Centre (CCMAC) for arbitration.
The statement did not say when the CCM received the complaint.
Through coordination between the consumer protection organisations of Macau and Shenzhen, the consumer from Shenzhen, who was not identified by the statement, was able to participate remotely via a video conference in the arbitration meeting held in Macau. The meeting was presided over by an arbitrator from the CCMAC, with the merchant involved in the dispute also attending. Ultimately, the two parties reached a settlement agreement through communication, resolving the cross-border consumer dispute effectively, the statement said.
According to the statement, with the implementation of the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” (GBA), cross-border consumption has become a new norm, with increasing personnel exchanges and economic interactions within the region.
Meanwhile, the CCMAC has been providing cross-border mediation and arbitration services and has established an online cooperation mechanism with consumer organisations in other Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities as well as the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the statement noted.
The statement pointed out that in recent years, consumer protection organisations in Macau and Shenzhen have continuously deepened their collaboration, building on strengthened sharing of consumer information resources, joint comparative product testing, and optimised cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms, and they have now introduced cross-border video arbitration services for the first time, providing convenient and efficient resolution for consumers, adding that this approach significantly reduces the cost of safeguarding consumer rights.
The statement stressed that as consumption interactions between residents of Macau and Chinese mainland cities grow increasingly close, the CCM will further actively promote cross-border mediation and arbitration services.
Moreover, according to the statement, the successful model of cooperation between Macau and GBA consumer protection organisations will be extended to more mainland cities and potentially even to overseas consumer protection organisations, the CCM is aiming to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and enhance tourists’ confidence in purchasing products and services in Macau through professional and efficient services.
This image shows the Macau Consumer Mediation and Arbitration Centre’s official logo.
