Is it a crime?

A reader's letter in the daily Kompas, Dec. 11, 1994, was concerned with a developer's disobedience. Having visited the real estate exhibition in the Jakarta Convention Center (November 1993), one of the visitors decided to buy a house. The main for this reason was that the exhibitor had a good reputation.

To own a house, the consumer could pay it in installments or it could be paid after the house has been built. It was in May or June 1994 that an order was placed with the developer. But until November 1994 the house has not been built. When he asked the developer about the matter, he was told to be patient, or he could cancel his order. Another consumer would take his place and his down payment refunded after having deductions taken off.

Is the practices of this developer a crime? What kind of crime is it?

Nowadays protection of the consumer is still a problem. Consumers often become victims in business practices such as false price tags/indications, misleading bargain offers and misleading descriptions of goods and services. Other misleading practices include bogus sale offers, in which the consumers can be misled into thinking that they are being offered a real bargain when, in fact, the price of the items has never been higher.

SUZIANI

Jakarta