BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) has helped a family secure a full refund of 85,800 baht from a cosmetics shop in Chiang Mai following a dispute over a sales encounter, with mediation completed within a day. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office overseeing the OCPB, said on September 2 that the agency intervened after the daughter of the consumers posted a request for help on social media.
According to the post, the woman’s parents were invited into a shop inside a shopping centre after staff told them they would receive free cream. They were subsequently offered cosmetics and charged 85,800 baht through a credit card. The post also alleged that an electrical device had been used around the father’s shoulder, resulting in an injury.
After learning of the case, Supamas instructed her adviser, Pradermchai Boonchuaylueang, to follow up on the matter and directed OCPB Secretary-General Ronnarong Phoolpipat to have OCPB Region 7 and the Chiang Mai provincial office contact the family. Officials visited the business and conducted an inspection together with the Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office.
The inspection found that the establishment was a cosmetics shop rather than a clinic or medical facility. Sales staff denied forcing the customers to purchase products and denied using an electrical device around the customer’s shoulder. The shop said it provides facial massages free of charge to customers who purchase its products. Public health officials examined five of the six cosmetics products listed on the receipt. All five inspected products carried Thai-language labels, notification numbers and information corresponding to their registered details.
Officials also confirmed that the business did not fall under establishments requiring a licence to operate as a beauty clinic or similar facility. The OCPB subsequently contacted the consumers and mediated between the two sides, reaching an agreement under which the shop would refund the full 85,800 baht. As part of the settlement, the shop agreed to withdraw its defamation complaint against the daughter who made the social media post. The consumers agreed to return the products and withdraw their complaint against the shop, while the daughter agreed to remove posts relating to the dispute.
The two parties were scheduled to meet investigators at Mae Ping Police Station at 1 p.m. on September 2 to record the agreement as evidence. The OCPB said it would continue monitoring the refund and compliance with the settlement until the process was completed. Supamas said the government was committed to ensuring that consumer protection produced practical results, stressing that the OCPB had acted without waiting for a formal complaint. She said the case demonstrated the agency’s efforts to respond quickly, investigate disputes and mediate between consumers and businesses to reach a fair resolution.
Consumers who suffer losses or wish to report suspected consumer-protection violations can contact the OCPB hotline at 1166, the OCPB Connect application, the OCPB website or provincial OCPB offices nationwide. (TNA)
