Consumer protection in Madagascar

Madagascar's consumer protection framework applies to goods, products and services at every distribution stage, whether supplied for payment or free of charge. A consumer can be a natural or legal person using goods or services for a personal or collective purpose. The main rights include safety, clear information, free choice, being heard, consumer education, repair, access to basic goods and services and a healthy environment. Professional suppliers must provide truthful information, display prices, state delivery terms, provide proof of purchase and respect conformity and safety requirements. Prices generally form through supply and demand, but the displayed price must be clear. Misleading labels and advertising are prohibited, and expired goods may not be sold, distributed or held for sale. A non-conforming product can generally be returned within 15 clear days after delivery for an exchange or a refund without a penalty. A significant delivery delay may allow the consumer to terminate or rescind the contract. Contracts must not contain clauses that create a significant imbalance against the consumer. Statutory warranty and after-sales service apply for the period fixed by the relevant regulation, and a clause excluding the warranty has no legal effect. If a repair keeps the product unavailable for at least seven days, the remaining warranty period is extended. Distance offers must identify the supplier and its registered office. Door-to-door and telemarketing offers require written confirmation, and the consumer is bound only after signing. A detailed, general regime for online marketplaces was not established in the reviewed local sources, so ordinary online-platform assumptions should not be treated as Madagascar-specific law. Financial-service protections depend on the service. Under banking rules, the provider should offer a suitable product, support informed choice, treat customers fairly, explain the service transparently, protect confidentiality, correct inaccurate data and maintain a complaint function. A bank customer generally has seven clear working days to withdraw from a signed contract. The provider may charge only agreed expenses already incurred. If money has already been disbursed, the customer normally repays the capital and interest for the period of use within a maximum of 30 working days. Microfinance contracts must be clear in Malagasy and/or French and disclose the effective global interest rate. Microfinance institutions must allow oral or written complaints, provide a written trace or receipt, make the complaint function accessible at all times, send a copy to the CSBF when required and process the complaint free of charge without retaliation. The Commission de Supervision Bancaire et Financière, known as CSBF, supervises the relevant financial sector. Electronic-money contracts must provide pre-contract information about fees, refunds and complaints, and the contract must be available in Malagasy and French. Electronic-money users generally have one week to withdraw. They should promptly report a lost or stolen instrument, an unauthorised transaction or an error to the provider and use the financial-sector complaint process when the provider does not resolve the issue. For telecommunications and other information and communication technology services, the provider receives the first complaint. The Autorité de Régulation des Technologies de Communication, or ARTEC, protects users and accepts escalated complaints through its consumer service, online form or short code 600. Its official mission information describes a maximum investigation period of two months. A mobile-money dispute can also fall under both the provider's process and financial supervision by CSBF or Banky Foiben'i Madagasikara. Keep the terms and conditions, screenshots, recharge records and transaction identification numbers. No general platform-wide digital consumer compensation process was established in the reviewed sources. Travel consumers should check whether a travel company, accommodation provider, restaurant or guide appears in the official directory of authorised tourism businesses maintained under the supervision of the Ministère du Tourisme et de l'Artisanat. Keep the itinerary, booking confirmation and payment proof, then complain to the provider. An unresolved commercial dispute may be taken to the Direction de la Protection des Consommateurs, the relevant Direction Régionale du Commerce et de la Consommation or a court. The Office National du Tourisme de Madagascar mainly provides information and assistance; it is not a general adjudicator. No Madagascar-specific travel ombudsman or standard cancellation regime was established in the reviewed sources. Electricity complaints can be sent to JIRAMA customer service through 547, an online agency, JIRAMOBILE or service-client@jirama.mg for billing, outages, connections, meters, payments and other service problems. Under the Electricity Code, the Office de Régulation de l'Electricité provides a mediation service for electricity-market and service complaints. Fuel and petroleum complaints fall within the functions of the Office des Régulations des Hydrocarbures, which monitors prices, quality and installations. Access and service arrangements vary by provider and region, and no universal compensation tariff was established. The Agence du Médicament de Madagascar, or AMM, is the public agency responsible for medicine registration, inspection, quality control and pharmacovigilance. Pharmaceutical products should be supplied through authorised pharmaceutical or health establishments, and expired products must be removed from circulation. A suspected adverse effect or quality problem should be reported to the pharmacy or supplier and to the AMM or the Centre National de Pharmacovigilance. A safety report does not automatically create a right to a refund or compensation. A strong complaint file contains the receipt or invoice, contract and terms, label or product photographs, delivery proof, correspondence, payment or transaction identification, screenshots and, when relevant, witness or expert information. Start with a written complaint to the supplier and keep proof of delivery or receipt. The sector-specific authority may then be more effective: ARTEC for telecommunications, CSBF or Banky Foiben'i Madagasikara for financial services, the electricity regulator for electricity, the petroleum regulator for fuel and the AMM for medicines. The Ministry of Commerce and Consumption, particularly the Direction de la Protection des Consommateurs and regional commerce and consumption directorates, handle market goods, misleading practices, prices, labels and safety concerns. The current ministry signal line for suspicious goods or commercial abuse is 0382186104. A recognised consumer association may assist with a complaint. Under Law No. 2015-014, a consumer association can act for a collective interest, intervene in civil proceedings or represent at least two identified consumers with written mandates when the formal conditions are met. Associations need the required declaration, approval and representativeness for the relevant standing. A serious dispute may also proceed before the Tribunal correctionnel or the competent civil court. Administrative inspectors and commerce controllers can prepare a procès-verbal, inspect documents and premises, take samples and seize goods. Administrative transactions and ministerial measures may lead to judicial referral, and sanctions vary by offence, including fines or imprisonment. Commercial deception, unsafe goods and false advertising belong with the Ministry of Commerce and Consumption or its inspection services. Suspected escroquerie, abus de confiance or unauthorised payment should also be reported to the police, gendarmerie or the financial-crime judicial service; a criminal complaint is free according to Torolalana. A cyberattack, phishing incident or compromised account can be reported to CIRT-MG through its signal form or incident@cirt.mg, but CIRT-MG provides technical coordination rather than restitution. For bank or mobile-money fraud, contact the provider immediately to block the account or dispute the transaction and then escalate to the financial supervisor. The e-Koragna 633 channel belongs to a PRODIGY project grievance mechanism and is not a general consumer hotline. The national framework applies across Madagascar, but practical access differs between urban and rural areas and between sectors. A sector complaint normally requires a customer or user relationship. Malagasy and French are expressly required or supported for several microfinance and electronic-money documents; other procedures often use either language. Complaint processing may be free, as in microfinance complaints and criminal complaints, while court, expert and travel costs vary. No general deadline or compensation guarantee applies to every complaint, so the evidence, responsible authority and legal basis should be matched to the specific problem.