Beware of uncalibrated weighing scales, market administrator advises

The Consolacion Public Market. | Photo by LGU Consolacion

CEBU CITY, Philippines — When in doubt, consumers should double-check the weight of their goods.

This was the advice of Consolacion Market Administrator Loida Baguion to market-goers after they were able to confiscate defective weighing scales from stall owners at the Consolacion Public Market.

Baguion said complaints from market-goers about the inaccurate weighing of goods in the market prompted them to conduct an inspection last September 21 to 22, 2019, which led to the confiscation of at least 65 uncalibrated weighing scales.

“Amo man gyud na nga gi-calibrate ang mga timbangan sa mga naninda pero naa gyuy uban nga ilang usbon aron makapanglimbong,” Baguion told CDN Digital.

(The market authority calibrates their weighing scales but some of them really change it to cheat on their customers.)

Baguion urged the public to be vigilant of cheating market vendors. She said that when in doubt, double-check the weight of the goods through the timbangan ng bayan, a public weighing scale maintained by the market authority.

There are two timbangan ng bayan in the Consolacion Public Market located near the office of the market authority.

“Kung inig check nila nga kulang, mosulod lang sila sa opisina ug ilang timan-an diin sila nipalit aron ipatawag nato ang tindera,” said Baguion.

(If they find that the items that they bought lack in weight, they should report it to the market authority office and we will have the stall owner or attendant answer to it.)

Under the Market Code of Consolacion, vendors who have been found cheating on their weighing scales will be fined P1,000 and may face eviction from the market upon the discretion of the market committee. /bmjo