It is important to regulate “selling”.
If salesman goes around to sell products, they are likely to make the sale by misleading the customer. The regulation of selling should include the following:
1. The product is inherently fair to consumers (e.g. the manufacturer cannot make false claims)
2. Suitable information is provided to the customer (i.e. the information has to be verified by an expert)
3. The selling process has to meet standards of good conduct.
If the other conditions are not met, the selling should be considered as “touting” and the product should be suspected to be bad for consumers.
What is good conduct? Overcharging is definitely not. But then how to define overcharging if we have no competitor prices to compare with? Or compare apples with oranges? This is a big issue for buyers, especially in a monopoly or cartel market. There may also be a conflict of interest, if the govt who is a regulator also has vested interest as seller.
ReplyDeleteDear KIn Lian,
ReplyDeleteSelling is not just limited to tangible products. It should also include intangible items. One glaring example is "selling of promise" by political leaders. More than often these people has been misleading the citizens for many years. We have to suffer in silent.
Who can protect us from political leader sales of their promises? God?
If MAS is serious about cleaning up the insurance industry of malpractices it must ban selling.
ReplyDeleteSelling of tangibles has its mis-selling and woes, what about the intangibles like insurance which is a piece of paper.Cash back products like revosave and limited payment WL would not have been sold.Selling insurance have been abused for many years and MAS knows and yet not doing anything. Wonder if there is any conflict of interest. Who is MAS protecting?
those agents who sold revosave and other cash refund products are the most unethical and despicable people because they willfully and wilefully disregard the long term needs of the customers.The customers are short changed. The agents sold for their own interest and they used dubious,deceptions ambiguous presentation and means to con their innocent, naive and trusting clients.These products are the worst of products becuase the "benefits' are lousy, diluted and will NOT help the cleint to address their long term needs and yet the agents got the cheek and the hypocrisy to mention them as truths when they know it is a complete lie and misrepresentation.The agents treat the customers as suckers and fools.
ReplyDeleteMAS should investigate and stop the companies and their agents from shortchanging the customers. Someone must sue the agents.
I don't understand why agents nowadays lack the conscience, ethics and honesty because of money
As someone pointed out that if the agents did a fact find and analysis
revosave WILL NEVER NEVER be the product that will be recommended.
But agents sold it for their own selfish greed. Because it is inferior in term as a saving plan and as protection it is completely useless. There are more superior products to address the cleints ' needs. Revosave is down right cheat if it is recommended for retirement planning. I can imagine years down the road the customers will discover how they were betrayed by their so called trustworthy consultants.
MAS must stop these agents from malpracticing and conning the consumers.Selling and touting must be banned. Roadshow must be banned like in other countries. Touting at roadshows is no different from prostituting their service. It is NOT professional. It is degrading. It is a public nuisance and harrassment.