Consumer protection in Seychelles

The FTA covers commercial supplies of goods and services for private use. Suppliers must provide accurate prices, receipts, shelf-life information and trade descriptions in English, French or Creole. Goods should be safe, fit for purpose, free from defects and consistent with their description or sample. For non-conforming goods, a consumer can generally return them within six months of delivery without cost or penalty. The supplier should first provide a free repair or replacement. A repair assessment should take no more than 10 days, the repair should normally be completed within 60 days, and a replacement should normally be provided within three days unless a longer period was agreed. If a valid return leads to a refund, the refund should be made within 48 hours. A new defect within three months after repair can lead to replacement or a refund. Prohibited conduct may attract fixed penalties of SCR 1,500 to SCR 20,000 for each offence. The FTA also prohibits unfair, unreasonable or unjust contract terms. A consumer can complain to the FTC, which may investigate, seek mediation or an undertaking, issue a notice or order, require a remedy, impose a penalty or refer the matter to another regulator. An FTC complaint generally has a two-year limitation period. If the FTC requests information or documents, they should be supplied within one month or the complaint may lapse. An appeal to the Fair Trading Tribunal must generally be filed within 30 days of the relevant notice. The available rules do not establish a general cooling-off right for ordinary consumer contracts. Financial products and services follow the Financial Consumer Protection Act 2022. Banks and relevant financial service providers fall within the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), while the Financial Services Authority (FSA) supervises non-bank financial services, including virtual asset service providers. Providers should disclose costs and risks, give a Key Facts Statement where required, and use plain, understandable terms. An unfair term is void from the beginning. Product-specific cooling-off rights may apply when the competent authority provides them, and a valid termination refund should generally be paid within 14 working days. Each financial service provider should have a complaint-handling unit. The usual sequence is an internal complaint first, followed by CBS or FSA escalation; an FSA complaint should generally wait at least 21 business days after the provider complaint. The FCPA limitation period is three years, and FSA complaints can be made in English, Creole or French. Online purchases and digital services are covered by a combination of the FTA, the Electronic Transactions Act 2001 as amended in 2024, and the Communications Act 2023 with the Communications Licensing Regulations 2026. Telecommunications providers should maintain a consumer code and complaint process, issue itemised bills and tariffs, meet stated quality-of-service standards, and give notice of service interruptions. A complaint should first go to the provider; keep the reference number and supporting records before approaching the Seychelles Communications Regulatory Authority (SCRA). The available rules do not establish one general e-commerce withdrawal or redress period. Payment or account fraud should be reported promptly to the relevant financial provider, CBS or FSA, and to the Seychelles Police where appropriate. Travel complaints involve both the FTA and the Tourism Department. Tourism Development (Standards) Regulations 2023 require accommodation providers to maintain a systematic complaint process, monitor complaints and respond promptly. The Tourism Department licenses and monitors tourism services, while the FTC can address misleading claims by commercial suppliers. The available framework does not establish a single nationwide travel alternative-dispute-resolution system or a general package-travel compensation scheme. The Tourism Department has warned about third-party travel-authorisation websites; the official government site is govtas.com. Suspected travel-authorisation scams can be reported to the Tourism Department or the Police. Electricity, water and sewerage complaints follow a sector system. The Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) supplies these services, handles customer service, bills and payments, and provides a customer portal. A utility bill is generally due within 30 days. Connection fees and deposits may apply, with the amount depending on the case and tariff. The Utilities Regulatory Commission (URC), established under the Utilities Regulatory Commission Act 2023, oversees tariffs, service standards, dispute settlement and consumer interests under the Electricity Act 2023 and Electricity (Consumer Service) Regulations 2024. PUC customer service can be reached at +248 4678000 and breakdowns at +248 4678910. The URC website states a target of resolving matters within 21 days. The normal escalation is PUC first, then URC. Health products have a more fragmented protection system. The Public Health Authority, Medicines Regulatory Unit and Pharmaceutical Services address safety, quality, distribution, licensing and inspection. The FTA still provides general goods protections, including accurate descriptions, shelf-life information, receipts and remedies for non-conforming products. Product-safety complaints can go to the FTC, while risks involving medicines or public health should go to the Public Health Authority or Ministry of Health. A supplier that voluntarily recalls a product should notify the FTC within two days. The available rules do not establish a separate consumer deadline or fee for every health-product complaint. The FTC accepts complaints in any form about commercial activity carried out for gain or reward, including trade, professional activity and relevant public-body activity. Useful evidence includes the receipt, contract, proof of payment, correspondence, photographs of the product and records of the supplier's response. A complaint may be referred to CBS, FSA, SCRA, URC, the Public Health Authority or the Tourism Department when another body has the stronger sector mandate. Consumer protection remedies do not guarantee recovery or compensation in every case. Civil-law claims that go beyond regulatory redress may require a court process. Misleading, deceptive or fraudulent conduct is prohibited by the FTA. For a financial scam, contact the bank or financial service provider immediately, then consider CBS or FSA reporting and a Police report. The FSA may refer financial-crime matters outside its authority to the Seychelles Police, and suspected unlicensed virtual asset service providers can be reported to the FSA. The Crime Stopper number is 133 and the emergency number is 999. Keep transaction records, messages, account details and website addresses because they help regulators and investigators assess the complaint.