It was announced as a new development last week by the current executive director of Pro Consumidor
SANTO DOMINGO– The “Registry of Suppliers in the Real Estate and Construction Sector,” recently announced as a newly created initiative by the executive director of the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumidor), Eddy Alcántara, was created in 2020 with the same purpose: “to group the country’s main suppliers in specific areas with the intention of promoting good business practices.”
The document at that time, consisting of nine pages entitled “Project for the registration of suppliers in the real estate and construction sector”, provides the basis for its creation and appears with the logos of Pro Consumidor, the Dominican Association of Housing Builders and Promoters (Acoprovi), the Association of Real Estate Agents and Companies (AEI) and the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia).
Its launch was reported in several media outlets such as Diario Libre and the Acento.com.do portal, on July 23 and 24, 2020, as well as in an official publication of the governing entity.
“This is a novel project in which consumers can consult and verify the behavior of all real estate development companies in real time to ensure their investment, given the number of complaints and reports from consumers in this sector,” says the press release sent by Pro Consumidor last week.
The official spoke about the issue while participating as a speaker in the forum “Protecting the Dominican Dream: Prevention of Real Estate Scams for the Dominican Community Abroad”, held in that city, under the coordination of the Ombudsman, the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic and other institutions.
Training day
On the Pro Consumidor website dated August 12, 2020, there is a press release describing a training session that was held virtually for members of the AEI and Codia, to explain to them "the purpose and use of this Registry, the requirements to be part of it and the benefits they have by belonging to this tool.".
“Both CODIA and AIE were informed of the benefits, highlighting among them that consumers can consult the supplier registry before making any commercial transaction, which implies confidence when dealing with the supplier of their choice; likewise, they can consult any relevant information to know the academic, technical, and scientific accreditations necessary for the practice of the profession,” the information note says.
Who ran the institutions?
From left to right: the current president of Acoprovi, Annerys Meléndez; the late María Asunción Gaton (Susy), then president of the builders; Anina Del Castillo, director of Pro Consumidor; Claudia Castillo, president of the AEI; while on screen Dionisio Navarro, president of CODIA, is seen during the announcement of the registration in 2020.
The director of Proconsumidor at that time was Anina del Castillo, Claudia Castillo from AEI , the late María Asunción Gatón (Susy) from Acoprovi, while Codia was directed by Dionisio Navarro.
Del Castillo said, when announcing the new tool more than four years ago, that the registration would initially be aimed at suppliers of goods and services in the real estate, construction and engineering sectors, who would request their inclusion through the offices of Proconsumidor and via the virtual platform.
“In a second stage, which is being evaluated, suppliers of goods and all products related to construction and related areas will also be integrated,” the head of Proconsumidor announced, according to the article published by Diario Libre on July 23, 2020.
What does the record consist of?
The document has nine pages and consists of a legal framework and eight chapters. The first explains the nature of the registry, the second the requirements for joining, the third was omitted, the fourth deals with fees and payments, the fifth with training, the sixth with the Pro Consumidor evaluation committee, the seventh with exclusion from the registry, while the last refers to modifications and addenda.
Cover photo: Justo Feliz, El Inmobiliario.
