BPKN Records Three Sectors Dominate Consumer Complaints

Chairman of the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) Muhammad Mufti Mubarok stated that three main sectors dominate public complaints arising from daily transactions: financial services, housing, and electronic trading, collectively accounting for 64 per cent of the total. The data is drawn from a total of 12,051 consumer complaints recorded in the BPKN complaint system during the period from 2017 to July 2026. “This data shows that the problems faced by the public are no longer sectoral in nature but have encompassed almost all areas directly related to daily life,” Mufti said during a working meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR) discussing the central government’s financial report for the 2025 state budget in Jakarta on Thursday. Mufti added that throughout 2025, BPKN assessed consumer losses from the various reported issues to have reached Rp1 trillion. Meanwhile, for the current year up to July 2026, the agency has assessed the impact of consumer losses at Rp19.81 billion. Several prominent issues highlighted in public complaints include matters related to electronic trading and social commerce, such as hidden costs and fake reviews, losses from the use of paylater services in digital finance, investment fraud, and discrepancies in property sale and purchase agreements. Mufti emphasised the need to strengthen consumer protection through a comprehensive policy direction encompassing regulatory reinforcement, institutional strengthening, education, complaint resolution, and cross-sector collaboration. “The future direction of national consumer protection will be the focus of BPKN through evidence-based policy recommendations, empowering consumers, strengthening the consumer complaint resolution system, enhancing national collaboration, and reinforcing consumer protection institutions,” he said. BPKN is also urging the acceleration of the ratification of a new Consumer Protection Bill to strengthen legal certainty, address the challenges of the times, and ensure more optimal consumer protection. He added that institutional strengthening and adequate budget support would enable more effective and equitable resolution of consumer complaints. Cross-ministerial synergy, along with the involvement of business actors and the public, is essential to building a robust and integrated consumer protection ecosystem.