06 Mar 2024
Nigerian expatriates working in Ireland who have to earn a living to support their families through money transfer from Ireland to Nigeria, are usually concerned about the safety and security of their funds.
But is there another aspect of online money transfers that expatriates tend to know little about?
This aspect is critical to every money transfer you make to Nigeria from Ireland and it’s called ‘Consumer Protection’.
This blog will walk you through the basics of consumer protection and all the associated details with it.
Consumer protection refers to the protection of consumers' or customers representation, mobilisation, and education. It means that the market is regulated by certain laws and rules that aim to offer the best services to consumers, regardless of everything.
Another important point of consumer protection is that it ensures that consumers make well-informed and right decisions about every product and service they wish to use.
The core purpose of consumer protection is to protect you from malpractices prevalent in the marketplace. Remember that unscrupulous elements exist in every society and every business. They often operate covertly and aim to fleec you by offering you fake products and services while charging you for genuine ones.
In case you find yourself in such a situation, you have certain rights that fall under protection laws and regulations, in the absence of which seeking redressal is simply impossible.
For example, if you want to send money to Nigeria from Ireland and mistakenly land in the lap of a fraudulent company, consumer protection regulations will help you in every aspect.
Now let’s look at what constitutes an effective consumer protection.
Although consumer protection overall offers protection against malpractices in the marketplace, the concept is based on the following critically important components. Without the following pillars, consumer protection cannot be effective.
For consumer protection to be effective, the presence of adequate and proper laws safeguarding the interests of the consumers is essential. These laws must ensure that every aspect of consumer protection is considered.
The second pillar is the effective implementation of these laws. In most cases, such laws do exist, but these do not remain effective because:
Therefore, such laws must remain in effect without being invoked only if the need arises.
The third on the list is the awareness on the part of the consumer. A service provider, registered with the government bodies, is already aware of these laws and even knows how not to follow but the question is: to what extent you know consumer protection laws?
The next pillar is the ease of access to the mechanisms offering redressal. No matter how aware you are of your consumer rights and laws, it will all be futile if you cannot turn to any corner for redressal. So, the existence of an open access to a redressal mechanism is essential.
Another important element is the existence of organisations responsible for offering the redressal of consumer complaints. This is because an organisation can exert more pressure and press for redressal more effectively than an individual.
For example, such organisations can help you get the extra amount back when you send money online to Nigeria from Ireland, in case you paid extra mistakenly.
Another advantage of the presence of such organisations is that they serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous elements in the marketplace.
Another pillar of effective consumer protection is that the service provider needs to exhibit responsible business conduct. For example, if you complain about a service, the forum or the business heeds it and tries to overcome the shortcomings instead of applying evasive tactics. They try to heap the blame on you.
You may seek consumer protection in your online money transfers from Ireland to Nigeria after finding the best way to send money back home from overseas or while purchasing a product. You will be offered consumer protection rights as follows.
If you purchase an unsafe product but have no idea about it, you can seek redressal and get your money back after following the due process of consumer protection. Remember that the procedures and regulations vary from region to region.
If you get defective products from somewhere, you can replace them with new ones without paying extra. Certain businesses tend not to entertain such complaints by putting the onus on you. But your consumer protection rights can turn things in your favour.
This is one of the most critically important benefits of your consumer protection rights as a Nigerian migrant in Ireland. The rising online financial scams make consumer protection rights critically important for redressal if you fall prey to a fraudulent service provider.
At times, a business will not allow you access to certain information about a service you want to avail of or a product you wish to buy. For example, if you want to know the fee mechanism of an online service provider, the service provider may not be willing to share this information. But if you exercise your consumer protection rights, you can access such information easily.
Your consumer protection rights are meant to empower you. These rights and laws offer you safety and protection, educate you, and make you aware of your rights and responsibilities as a consumer while giving you insights into the responsibilities of the businesses.
It is the sole responsibility of your service provider to ensure that your privacy is intact and maintained at every level of the process. If your online money transfer service provider does not maintain your privacy and information, you can file legal proceedings against them.
Consumer protection in online money transfers is critically important because a) online fraud is on the rise, and b) your financial data is exposed. ACE Money Transfer is one of the few online money transfer service providers with a global presence that values your protection as a consumer. It also ensures seamless adherence to consumer protection laws of every country in which the firm is operationally present.
Consumer protection laws vary, as mentioned earlier, from country to country, so uniform adherence seems difficult. But ACE Money Transfer goes the extra mile to ensure adherence and compliance for optimal consumer satisfaction.
Choosing ACE Money Transfer to online money transfer from Ireland to Nigeria is all you have to do to ensure consumer protection for the above reasons and benefits.
The firm ensures compliance with your consumer rights and offers financial benefits like low service charges and speed. It also offers immense safety, wider service access, competitive exchange rates and much more from one window.
Consumer protection refers to best market practices aimed at providing the best services and products to consumers. It also means to educate and mobilise consumers and help them make well-informed decisions.
Consumer protection is critically important because it saves you from falling prey to unscrupulous elements in the market in every sector. However, consumer protection is extremely important in online money transfers as it can protect you from online fraud and scams.
For every consumer protection policy to be effective, it must be based on the following pillars. These are adequate laws, effective implementation of the laws, consumer awareness, access to redressal, presence of consumer organisations, and responsible business conduct.
Through your consumer protection rights, you can have security against unsafe products, replace defective products, and be safe against scams. You can claim protection against access to information, maintain privacy, and seek empowerment by exercising your consumer protection rights.
Consumer protection is critically important in your online money transfers because you share your information with the service provider. If this information is leaked, you can land in trouble. So, in case of an information and privacy breach, you have the right to sue the concerned service provider for redressal.
