A resident of Taldykorgan, Gulnar M., contacted the Department of Trade and Consumer Protection of the Zhetysu region after a dietary supplement based on medicinal herbs that she had purchased caused a deterioration in her health. The woman demanded a refund of the 100,000 tenge she had spent.
According to Ratel.kz, the seller refused to refund the money, claiming that the buyer had used the product incorrectly.
It is reported that after taking the supplement, Gulnar, who suffers from asthma, began to choke and called an ambulance. At the same time, the product's packaging lacked contraindications for asthmatics or any instructions for use.
"I contacted the seller where I bought the supplement and demanded a refund. I was told that I had used it incorrectly. The packaging of the supplement contains no instructions for use, and I used it as advised by the sellers at the time of purchase. The supplement costs 100,000 tenge," the woman stated.
She spoke about her problem at a reception with the management of the Department of Trade and Consumer Protection for the Zhetysu region. The head of the department, Aidos Dаueshev, explained the procedure in such situations.
"According to the law 'On Protection of Consumer Rights,' the consumer has the right to a product and service of safe and proper quality. The first step is for the consumer to submit a pre-trial claim to eliminate violations of rights and legitimate interests and to compensate the consumer for the loss (harm) caused by these violations due to product defects on a voluntary basis," Dаueshev explained.
According to him, the entrepreneur is obliged to consider the consumer's claim and, in case of disagreement with the requirements, provide a documented, reasoned written response within ten days of receiving the claim.
"If no response is provided, the department, within the framework of the current legislation, will open an unscheduled inspection and hold them accountable under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offences," emphasised the head of the department.
According to the department, Gulnar is not the only one who has suffered from dietary supplements. For instance, in 2024, a pensioner from Taldykorgan received knee burns from an expired ointment.
"She contacted our department. We helped her prepare a court claim. As a result, the woman won more than 500,000 tenge from the sellers. All medicinal products must comply with the safety hygiene requirements of the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union. The safety of the dietary supplement must be documented," the statement said.
For context, we previously wrote that the uncontrolled intake of high doses of vitamin D3 in the form of a supplement can lead to hypervitaminosis, which leads to hypercalcaemia (excess calcium), kidney damage and even cardiac complications.
The FBRK editorial team cares about its readers and recommends being vigilant when purchasing and consuming dietary supplements. Read more about what an excess of vitamin D3 in the body can lead to and what health risks are associated with the overuse of supplements in this article.