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PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP

ESTABLISHED APRIL 2001

ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE

1.       By highlighting local lender’s then despicable practice of deliberately Naming & Shaming their mortgagor’s with their FOR SALE BY MORTGAGE public advertisements in which they would list in bold prints the borrower’s NAME & ADDRESS as if selling the Borrower and not their property, PIRG successfully fought relentlessly to dissuade this puerile practice from uneducated Bankers and lenders by repeatedly writing to all such advertisers. Shamefully, this despicable and destructive practice was started by indigenous African based WORKERS BANK at a time when the country experienced its first severe downturn in the 80’s forcing many honest people into unexpected financial decline and unable to pay their mortgages. Today, due to PIRG, this destructive paradigm of NAMING & SHAMING of mortgagors no longer exist.

2.       PIRG reassured and reinforced the RIGHTS of consumers by its public advertisements highlighting banking malpractices, misfeasance and malfeasances. Banks, Consumers and their Government stood up and took notice, while Republic Bank later publicly advertised a reduction in fees on 15 of their financial products.

3.       PIRG petitioned Government for the establishment of a Banking Ombudsman (Now the FSO: Financial Service Ombudsman) who could hear and resolve consumer’s complaints against their banks.

4.       Following the seizure of BWIA’S aircraft in Miami by its creditors in 2003, PIRG immediately petitioned Government for the establishment of a BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION ACT (now the Bankruptcy & Insolvency Bill of 2006). Then Prime Minister Patrick Manning responded promptly and favorably to our request, appointing Senator, The Honorable Conrad Enill to liaise with us for the evaluation, recommendation and preparation of this essential legislation. 

5.       Following the shocking and unprecedented publication of REQUEST TO CONTACT in which Government micro lender Nedco placed the photos of 23 of their delinquent borrowers in all three daily newspapers in March and April of 2002, PIRG mounted a zealous campaign engaging all methods possible to dissuade this uncivil and nefarious practice from becoming the commercial norm in our society. Getting nowhere with the newspapers more concerned about their lucrative advertising revenues than civil and social responsibility, we then sought the intervention of the Honorable Camille Robinson Regis, the then Minister of Legal Affairs with responsibility for Consumer Affairs who was successful in forcefully writing these newspapers about their practices, prompting written assurances to PIRG from the Trinidad Express that they would no longer be publishing photo ads of their delinquent borrowers, captioned REQUEST TO CONTACT.

6.       PIRG campaigned VIGOROUSLY for local banks to cash their own cheques at ANY of their branches, staunchly arguing that cheques were drawn on BANKS and NOT on the “branch” of the account holder. Prior to PIRG, banks would obliviously refuse the encashment and direct the payee to the drawer’s branch however far, however insensible. At that time local banks were so backward that they didn’t even keep signatures of account holders from other branches but were avaricious to charge customers $20.00 to $30.00 to “fax” the cheque to the respective branch for verification while the customer sat and waited for a response.

7.       LETTER WRITING.  PIRG has written numerous letters to various financial institutions on behalf of their borrowers in order to successfully resolve consumer issues.

8.       PIRG also wrote to warehouse retailer PRICESMART in December 2008 complaining about their then just created policy of searching the handbags of their Members on checkout, and received a prompt apology from their country Manager who assured us that that policy would be discontinued forthwith. Letters have also been written to Hilo Food Stores (now MASSEY) complaining about their sale of porous perishable items, poor customer service, unreasonably long check-out lines due to lack of cashiers. We have in the past written to Westmall about the then unacceptable condition of their toilet facilities for its shoppers, and to fast foods giant KFC about its untrained and unmonitored staff offering a level of customer service quite incongruous to that offered by its Franchisor in North America where consumers are treated with deserving respect and prompt service.