Consumer & Advertising

SERNAC inspects “mall chino” retailers over legal warranty, labeling and SEC seal

SERNAC launched an inspection campaign covering more than 50 import and retail stores known as “malls chinos”, reviewing compliance with Law 19.496 on price display, Spanish-language labeling, legal warranty information and the SEC seal for products subject to mandatory certification; breaches may lead to court complaints and fines of up to 300 UTM per infringement.

SERNAC goes into the field: optical shops must prove who performs the eye exam and meet four obligations under the Consumer Law

SERNAC launched a national inspection of the optical sector, requiring that whoever performs the eye exam identify themselves with name, profession, and tax ID and be qualified as a physician or medical technologist in ophthalmology, that the prices of lenses and services be displayed with taxes, that the 6-month legal warranty be clear and visible, and that the name and address of the store manager be shown; non-compliance can generate fines and sanctions from both SERNAC and the Superintendence of Health.

Santiago Court of Appeals: without proving that the vehicle was in the mall's parking lot, there is no liability for theft

The Santiago Court of Appeals absolved the mall of liability for the theft of a vehicle because it was not proven that the car was in its parking lot, which prevents applying the Consumer Law; the ruling stresses that, for the duty of security to be enforceable, the plaintiff must prove the locative nexus of the vehicle, and advises administrators of shopping centers with shared parking lots to clearly delimit the spaces, record entries, and establish incident-response protocols.