The 5^th edition of ‘Premju Servizz bi Tbissima’ was launched by the MCCAA at St George’s Square, Valletta.

“The organisation of this award promotes and encourages good business practices as it recognises and values the good service that local traders give their customers. This recognition is directly given by consumers as they are the ones who in this competition vote for their favourite sellers”, Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Rights, Public Cleansing and Support for the Capital, Deo Debattista said during the launch.

When companies and sellers invest in high quality customer care service they invest in their own future and success. Businesses that do not take good care of their customers are doomed to fail and eventually close down. The parliamentary secretary also said that local sellers are not only competing on an international level to provide the best choice of products and prices but are also continuously assessed and criticised about how they treat their customers before and after a sale is concluded. When consumers are satisfied with the service provided, they usually spread the word by recommending the seller to other consumers. It is this kind of advertising that sellers and companies should strive to achieve.

MCCAA Chairperson Helga Pizzuto said that ‘Premju Servizz bi Tbissima’ is an initiative that reflects the authority’s belief that consumer rights can be best strengthened and protected by facilitating better relationships between buyers and sellers. Consumers and traders cannot exist without each other and hence need to understand and value one another.

The ‘Premju Servizz bi Tbissima’ award offers consumers the opportunity to appreciate and thank sellers who do their utmost to provide a good service. Local consumers can vote for sellers who fall under one of the competition’s five main categories: fashion and beauty, supermarkets and mini-markets, travel, electronic products and household goods, and online local sellers. The competition allows consumers to vote for more than one seller, even within the same category, but they can only vote once for the same seller.

Consumers can vote in this competition through the MCCAA website at www.mccaa.org.mt. This year the competition period is open from Wednesday 12^th June 2019 till Wednesday 10^th July 2019. Consumers who participate in this competition will be eligible to win one of four cash prizes of €100 each.

The ‘Premju Servizz bi Tbissima’ award is tied to a code of conduct and hence the companies most voted for in each category will be checked by the authority to confirm that they meet the criteria of the award’s code and are eventually confirmed as winners.

The winners of the five categories will be announced during an award giving ceremony and will each receive a trophy and a certificate. The winners will also be given the opportunity to use the ‘Servizz bi Tbissima’ logo in their retail outlets and on their promotional material.