The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency has ruled that ‘Alta Retail LLC’ violated national consumer protection legislation after multiple complaints related to defective products.
The case was launched after several consumers reported that the company refused to properly address claims concerning faulty goods. As part of the investigation, the Agency conducted an independent technical assessment of one of the disputed products.
Based on this analysis, the GCCA rejected the company’s internal report, which had concluded that the product was defect-free. In a separate but related case reviewed within the same decision, a consumer submitted an independent expert evaluation. A comparative review found that the diagnostic methods used by the retailer’s service center were insufficient to reliably detect defects.
Under the Law of Georgia on the Protection of Consumer Rights, traders may reject requests for repair, replacement or contract termination only if they can demonstrate, through objective and reliable diagnostics, that the product complies with contractual standards and is free from defects.
The Agency determined that Alta Retail failed to meet this burden of proof. Its technical documentation did not credibly establish the absence of defects, effectively denying consumers access to their legal remedies.
The GCCA has instructed the company to restore affected consumer rights within one month and to bring its practices into compliance with the law.
If the company fails to implement the decision within the specified timeframe, it may face a fine of up to 2% of its annual turnover. Repeat violations within 12 months could result in the penalty being doubled. The decision may be appealed in court but financial penalties do not exempt the company from fulfilling its legal obligations.
