Perak KPDN’s new programme rewards consumers for reporting price discrepancies, reducing complaints and promoting ethical retail practices.
BAGAN DATUK: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has introduced a Response and Reward Programme as a preventative enforcement measure.
State director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said the programme ensures compliance with price tagging and protects consumer rights in the retail sector.
It began in September 2025 at Econsave Hypermarket Hutan Melintang near Bagan Datuk. Kamalludin said it has successfully reduced consumer complaints received by the KPDN Teluk Intan Branch.
“This initiative empowers consumers to check shelf prices and report discrepancies if the price at checkout is higher than the displayed one,” he explained.
Consumers are then entitled to receive the item at the same or lower advertised price and to be rewarded by the trader as a gesture of goodwill.
“The supermarket, in turn, is required to immediately correct the price tag,” he said during a press conference after an inspection.
The approach functions as a self-regulatory mechanism for traders, ensuring legal compliance and promoting high ethical standards in business.
This is particularly relevant for large-scale supermarkets that can carry up to 15,000 items.
Kamalludin added that the programme is a collaboration with two student consumer movements from Kolej Komuniti Bagan Datuk and Kolej Komuniti Teluk Intan.
The students manage the electronic complaint system and produce educational materials to promote consumer rights awareness.
A participant of the programme, 35-year-old Nabila Saadon, said she lodged a complaint after noticing a price discrepancy.
“As a consumer, I knew my rights and immediately filed a report with the Econsave management, who acknowledged my complaint for action,” she said.
Another participant, 24-year-old Mohamad Razman Jaafar, shared that he had previously overlooked pricing errors before learning about the programme.
“It was very straightforward – just fill in the relevant details online and submit. I did not expect to be recognised and rewarded,” he said.
