Consumer protection in Tanzania

The Fair Competition Act, Cap. 285, revised in 2025, protects consumers against misleading conduct, deceptive practices, unfair market practices and counterfeit goods. The Fair Competition Commission, commonly called the FCC, handles market investigations, consumer education, contract oversight and complaints. Any person may submit a complaint, generally in free form, with a hard copy and an electronic copy where required by the procedure. The FCC procedure provides for investigation within a maximum of three years and may lead to compliance orders, compensation orders, fines or directions to stop the conduct. The Fair Competition Tribunal provides a review or appeal forum for matters within its jurisdiction. Standard-form consumer contracts are supervised under the Standard Form Consumer Contracts Regulations 2014. When a complaint notice is served, the supplier has 14 days to provide a defence. Keep the contract, receipt, proof of payment, delivery record, messages and every response from the supplier. Tanzania does not have a verified general withdrawal or cancellation rule for every purchase, so a refund, replacement or repair cannot be assumed without checking the contract, the sector rules and the facts of the case. For ordinary goods, the FCC is relevant to misleading sales, unfair practices and counterfeit products. The Tanzania Bureau of Standards, known as TBS, deals with standards, product certification, market surveillance and the quality and safety of food and cosmetics. TBS warns about counterfeit and expired goods and provides the toll-free number 0800110827. An electronic fiscal device receipt can be checked or reported through the Tanzania Revenue Authority's Receipt Verification service. TBS or the FCC may be more suitable than a general court claim when the problem concerns product safety, false information or market-wide conduct. Financial consumer protection is established but sectorally organized. The Bank of Tanzania, or BoT, supervises financial service providers within its jurisdiction and addresses fair treatment, clear disclosure, client-data protection and effective complaint handling. The consumer first complains to the financial service provider, which should respond within 14 days. If it rejects the complaint or does not respond, the consumer may complain to the BoT within 14 days. The complaint must generally be filed within two years of the cause of action. The BoT service is free. Under the 2025 amended regulations, the BoT determination should be made within 60 days; a review application must be filed within 7 days, and the review decision should follow within 21 days. Failure to implement a final BoT decision can attract a penalty of TZS 1,000,000 per day. Possible remedies include an apology, a change in practice, payment or compensation. Insurance complaints generally belong with the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority, or TIRA, rather than the BoT. Policyholders and beneficiaries commonly complain about delayed claims, repudiated claims, unsatisfactory settlements, cancellation or delayed repair costs. The Tanzania Insurance Ombudsman and the Insurance Appeals Tribunal provide additional mechanisms, but the applicable filing period and remedy depend on the case. For telecommunications and electronic communications, complain to the provider in writing first. The provider has up to 30 days to resolve the complaint. If the matter remains unresolved, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, called TCRA, can receive it through the Consumer Complaint Unit, followed by the Complaint Committee where applicable. A ruling may take about 30 to 60 days, and an appeal to the Fair Competition Tribunal generally has a 21-day limit. TCRA provides the consumer desk through 0800008272 and e-mrejesho or *152*00#. Broadcasting-content complaints follow a separate process. A personal-data complaint is different from an ordinary purchase or delivery dispute. The Personal Data Protection Commission, or PDPC, operates under the Personal Data Protection Act 2022, in force since 2023. Data subjects may have rights to information, access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, protection against certain automated decisions, withdrawal of consent, complaint and compensation. The usual first step is to complain to the controller or processor, followed by the PDPC online or at its office. Travel complaints also depend on the service. For air travel, first complain to the regulated supplier and allow the response or solution period of 14 days under the current Civil Aviation Complaints Handling Rules. A complaint to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority's Consumer Complaints Unit should include the form, earlier correspondence and supporting evidence. The process may provide an amicable resolution, a supply order, a cost award, a fine or specific performance. For Mainland land transport, complain to the provider within 7 days. The provider should decide within 21 days, after which a complaint to the Land Transport Regulatory Authority, or LATRA, generally follows within 14 days of the provider's response. LATRA may mediate within 14 days, with an unresolved matter moving to the higher Complaints Committee. A tour-guide complaint can also fall under the tourism legislation, while a general tourist ombudsman has not been verified. For electricity, water, sanitation, petroleum and natural gas on Mainland Tanzania, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, known as EWURA, handles complaints against regulated suppliers. A complaint may be made by an individual, authorized representative or group, including a group supported by signatures, meeting minutes and contact details. The process is designed to encourage an amicable, faster and less bureaucratic resolution. Sector-specific limitation periods can exclude a late complaint. EWURA provides an electricity e-service and the toll-free number 0800110030. In Zanzibar, use the service provider and then the Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority, or ZURA, for electricity and water; petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas complaints may go directly to ZURA. ZURA provides a digital complaint portal with a tracking reference and offices serving Unguja and Pemba, so the correct regional office should be checked. For medicines, medical devices and diagnostics on Mainland Tanzania, the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority, or TMDA, handles registration, quality, safety, efficacy and consumer product complaints. Product-quality, adverse-reaction and safety reports can be submitted through TMDA or its Safety and Quality Reporting Tool. Suspected unregistered or falsified products should be reported through TMDA's toll-free number 0800110084. Recalled products must not be sold or supplied. Recall classes allow 14 days for high-risk Class 1 products, 21 days for moderate-risk Class 2 products and 30 days for Class 3 products; recall costs fall on the manufacturer, marketing authorization holder or registrant. Zanzibar uses local equivalents including the Zanzibar Food and Drugs Agency and the Zanzibar Bureau of Standards. A dispute about medical treatment itself should not be redirected automatically into the product-safety complaint process. Suspected fraud should be reported according to the product or service involved. Counterfeit goods may involve the FCC, TBS, TMDA, Zanzibar's FCC equivalent, ZBS or ZFDA. Unauthorized financial services belong with the BoT, while telecom or SIM fraud belongs first with the provider and then TCRA. Misuse of personal data belongs with the PDPC. Criminal fraud may additionally require the police or a court, but criminal enforcement does not replace a consumer redress process. Preserve receipts, chats, transaction IDs, IMEI numbers, URLs, packaging, contracts and screenshots. Tanzania Consumer Advocacy and Research, or TCAR, is a national consumer association that describes its services as advisory support, referrals and free legal services. It does not have the binding powers of a regulator. Complaints outside its competence can be referred to the relevant regulator, and its published information indicates that a court referral may be considered after 90 days without resolution. Complaints to many regulators can be made online, by email, in person or by toll-free telephone. No general filing fee has been verified for the FCC, TCRA, EWURA, TCAA, LATRA, ZURA, TMDA or PDPC. The BoT service is expressly free, but sector deadlines and documentation requirements remain decisive.