Georgia: The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) resolved 90% of cases in favor of consumers in 2024, and their demands have been fulfilled.
GCCA made this announcement through its Official Facebook page on January 15, 2025. The agency wrote that 90% of cases completed in 2024 have been decided in favor of consumers and their demand has been fulfilled due to which Georgian consumers were delighted.
The agency also stated that in 2024, GCCA received 890 applications related to consumer rights and took 6,350 calls regarding customer dissatisfaction.
Notably, 90% of resolved cases were decided in favor of consumers, with their requests successfully satisfied. Regarding the demographic breakdown of applicants, 70% were female, and 30% were male.
The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) reported that it had identified 102 violations of consumer rights in 198 cases. It was also noted that fines for non-compliance were charged.
A total of 60,000 GEL was fined to 56 traders in 92 cases for not fulfilling GCCA-imposed responsibilities. In support of customers, 163 agreements were signed in 193 cases. These agreements required that traders restore the rights of consumers who could have been damaged by their trading policies and change their internal business operations.
According to the information shared by the agency, among the total applications received in 2024, 67% of them refer to online trading and the other 33% refer to the case of on-the-spot purchase. According to regions, Tbilisi continues to lead with 85%, Adjara with 4%, which is followed by Imereti with 2%, and other regions.
GCCA noted that according to the received applications, the demand for a refund is 317, the repair or return of a defective item is 253, 147 for restoring the right to a defective service, 47 for items delivered within the specified time frame, 37 for the unconditional return of the item, 35 for the prohibition of misleading activities and the rest is 54.
According to one-year data, GCCA revealed the sector breakdown:
- Wholesale and retail trade: 73%
- Transport and warehousing: 12%
- Arts, entertainment, and leisure: 3%
- Other activities: 12%