Georgia: In June 2024, five merchants who violated Georgian Consumer Rights Protection law were fined for non-fulfillment of obligations set by the Georgian Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (GCCA).
The issue is a serious one—a violation of Georgia’s ‘Consumer Rights Protection‘ law. As a result, the GCCA has decided to evict traders who have failed to comply with the relevant articles of the Law.
It’s important to note that the GCCA’s monitoring is an ongoing process. Recent findings have shown that decisions made by the authorities have not been implemented. As a result, fines have been imposed on ‘Opatrade‘ LLC, Nugzar Kurbanov, Anar Aslanov, ‘9 Dragons Empire’ LLC, and the online store ‘urbanindustry’.
According to the GCCA, imposing a fine does not exempt merchants from the obligation to comply with the agency’s decision. Also, the penalties proceedings after the violation have been confirmed – the company will not comply with its obligations to protect consumer rights.
In the case of a breach, failure to comply with the GCCA decision by the deadline, or improper execution, the trader will be liable to be fined not exceeding 2% of the trader’s annual turnover in the previous financial year. The fine should be at least 600 GEL.
If a merchant repeatedly violates the Law for 12 months, the penalty will be doubled, which could significantly impact the business’s financial health.
For your information, from 2023 to the present, a total of 40 merchants have been fined for failing to meet their obligations as set by the GCCA. The total amount of these fines has reached up to 50,000 GEL, with over 500,000 GEL being paid by the merchants.
Georgian Consumers’ Rights Protection Law
This Georgian Law defines legal, economic, and social consumer rights protection principles throughout Georgia.
