The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned businesses operating across the state against relying on internal company policies, including \u2018No Refund, No Return and No Cancellation\u2019 clauses, to deny consumers remedies guaranteed under applicable consumer protection laws.<\/p>\n
The General Manager\/CEO of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, Esq., gave the warning during a mediation session at the Agency\u2019s headquarters in Ikeja involving a consumer and an event centre management company over a disputed cancellation charge.<\/p>\n
The dispute arose after a consumer who had booked an event centre and paid a 50 per cent deposit subsequently requested cancellation of the reservation. However, the facility\u2019s management reportedly insisted on retaining 50 per cent of the total booking cost, citing its cancellation policy.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the dispute, Solebo stressed that company policies and contractual terms must comply with the Lagos State Consumer Protection Law 2025 (as amended) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.<\/p>\n
He maintained that where internal policies conflict with statutory consumer protections, applicable laws take precedence. The Agency disclosed that it had continued to receive complaints from consumers denied refunds, replacements or other remedies by retailers and service providers on the grounds of internal company policies. It cautioned businesses against using blanket disclaimers and restrictive contractual clauses to evade their legal responsibilities.<\/p>\n
However, LASCOPA clarified that consumer protection does not guarantee 100 per cent automatic refunds in every transaction, noting that the availability of a refund, return, or cancellation depends on the circumstances of each transaction and applicable legal provisions. A consumer’s change of mind, for instance, does not automatically establish an entitlement to a refund.<\/p>\n
The Agency urged businesses to review their refund policies, warranty conditions, cancellation charges and contractual terms to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws. Consumers were equally advised to understand their rights, insist on receipts and transaction records, examine terms and conditions before making payments and report unfair business practices.<\/p>\n
Solebo further disclosed that LASCOPA had received complaints over the past six months concerning business practices that allegedly undermined consumer rights. While some cases were being investigated, others had been resolved through the Agency\u2019s intervention. He urged consumers to remain vigilant and report suspected unfair practices.<\/p>\n
Reaffirming the Agency\u2019s commitment to consumer protection and fair business practices, Solebo reiterated that no company policy could override statutory consumer rights. He urged Lagos residents with complaints against businesses to contact LASCOPA through its toll-free helpline, 080 0005 2726, or via email at lasgcopa@gmail.com and lascopa@lagosstate.gov.ng for appropriate intervention.<\/p>\n
Adesile RUFAI
\nAsst. Director, Public Affairs ( LASCOPA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned businesses operating across the state against relying on internal company policies,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-the-grassroots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24757"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24758,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24757\/revisions\/24758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}