Do you know you will need an oven or microwave to reheat Lunar New Year dishes bought from local retailers?
Some consumers don't know this, because the information is not specified in advertising for the frozen meals, which can cost thousands of NT dollars.
PHOTO: CNA
The Consumers' Foundation (
The result was disappointing, as only one company -- Hi-Life International Co (
Five out of the eight of the sheets failed to provide nutritional information, depriving consumers of the right to know how many calories and fat they will take in, the foundation's chairman Jason Lee (
While buyers can designate which date they want the meals delivered to their doorstep, none of the companies can promise whether the dishes will be delivered in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Unpredictable traffic conditions are the main reason, said Esther Lin (
"We did notify consumers about the situation and 90 percent chose to pick up their orders at our outlets, which also saves them the NT$150 required for home delivery," she said.
The two supermarket chains, Wellcome (頂好) and Matsusei (松青), as well as hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan, were singled out in the survey, which showed they need to improve labeling for instructions on reheating, nutrition and the weight of the food, as well as whether free refunds are provided.
According to Article 19 of the Consumer Protection Law (
But Matsusei, the nation's second-largest supermarket chain, stipulates a NT$500 charge for refunds, which Lee said is ridiculous.
Regrettably, relevant regulations do not stipulate penalties for the mail-order segment, allowing business operators to repeatedly fail to offer sufficient information and therefore disregard consumers' rights and interests, Lee said.
The stores examined in the survey included 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK, Nikomart, Wellcome, Matsusei and Carrefour.
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