Dar customers unhappy with weight machines

Customers at different city markets in the city have raised their concerns over Weights and Measure machines (WMA) being used by retailers and vendors of food products saying such machines do not depict the true weight of their purchased products.

A week long survey by The Guardian in Dar es Salaam discovered that buyers weighing their products in kilograms were claiming that most of such machines have been tampered to the benefits of vendors.

The survey discovered that a number of shopkeepers, butcher men and regular vendors at the major markets in the city were among those tampering with weight and measure machines to cheat customers of their products.

Hamisi Habibu, a regular customer of food items at Kipunguni market in the city told The Guardian that butchers were among few places where such weight deception is being observed.

Farmers have for long raised their concerns over the issue saying such a trend was weakening their efforts in the field, denying their income and also impoverishing their lives at the interest of few deceptive business men.

However, WMA’s Public Relations Officer, Rehema Rashid said they are still conducting their routine survey to nab deceitful traders in the city.

She said during the first quarter of 2014/15 financial year, at least 160 traders were arrested and fined in different parts of Dar es Salaam for tampering with weight and measures machines for self benefits.

Three months ago, the WMA Chief Executive Officer, Magdalena Chuwa was quoted in the local media admitting the agency’s facing serious shortage of staff to conduct such a supervision operation upcountry on timely basis to nab deceitful traders.

WMA is an agency working under the umbrella of the Ministry of Trade and Industry charged with consumer protection through measuring systems in order to ensure fair trade transactions by protecting consumers.