Consumer watchdogs are barking |after being flooded with gripes about credit cards and fitness centres

Credit-card debt was the |issue that Thai consumers complained about most this year, the Foundation for Consu-mers (FFC) revealed yesterday.

Of the 3,435 consumer complaints to the foundation over the past year, 2,300 were about credit-card debt, says FFC secretary general Saree Aongsom-wang, with insurance second on the list at 496 gripes, service quality third at 217, and property development third with 122 complaints.

Fitness centres are a new hotspot of dissatisfaction, and the rising number of complaints about them needed to be tackled by the Consumer Protection Board, says Saree.

Have your say

The FFC is encouraging Thai consumers to share their experiences by voting for the best and worst products, services and television advertisements of 2007.

"We want consumers to answer our six questions and give reasons why they think the products are good or bad. The brands have to be sold or known nationwide, not just in a particular region," says Saree.

Consumers can download |the questionnaire from |the FFC website (www.ConsumerThai.org) or vote on the website. They can also send their answers to FFC and its 101 consumer protection centres spread across 58 provinces.

Assumption University is also carrying out a countrywide ABAC poll, testing the consumer satisfaction - or otherwise - of more than 3,000 correspondents.

Members of the public can vote until January 20. The results will be announced on April 30 to mark Consumer Protection Day.

"We don't want to destroy any company's reputation," says Saree. "The aim of this project is to make people aware of consumers' rights and their violation, and to ensure that companies respect those rights."