When measurement errors "corrode" consumers' wallets
At the end of August 2026, when contributing opinions to the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Commercial Law, Competition Law, Foreign Trade Management Law and Law on Protection of Consumer Rights, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai said that the drafting process of amending the Measurement Law shows that there is a linkage and synchronization with the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights.
Therefore, in the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights, it is proposed that there must be inter-connection and further study of the Measurement Law being drafted, especially the mechanism to protect consumers when the measurement results are incorrect.
In practice, capital measurement is present in most economic transactions. Ms. Nguyen Thu Thao (An Khanh commune, Hanoi) said that she has witnessed many cases of arguments at gas stations because salespeople do not push the lever or press the button to return the meter to 0 but continue to pump to the next person.
Although this situation occurs a lot, people often have to accept it because they have not had time to record specific evidence to send to functional agencies" - Ms. Thao shared.
Not only in the gasoline and oil sector, receiving the electricity bill for June 2026, Ms. Pham Nga (Ngoc Ha ward, Hanoi) was surprised when the amount to be paid increased to 7.9 million VND, 1 million VND higher than May. Previously, her family's electricity bill for May was 6.8 million VND. In previous months, electricity bills ranged from about 2-3 million VND; in the off-season only about 2.5 million VND.
The cases of Ms. Thao and Ms. Nga show that people's difficulties are not only in detecting errors but also in the mechanism to prove damage. When the measurement results of essential services are falsified, the current verification and compensation mechanism is still not specific enough to protect consumers. This is no longer simply checking whether a scale or gas station is "correct" or not, but has become a problem of data, software and digital connection in an economy operated by smart devices.
Protect market confidence
Sharing with Lao Dong reporters, economic expert, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh said that accurate measurement is the infrastructure of commercial trust; if the integrity of measurement data is not ensured, it will harm both consumers and a healthy business environment.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thinh said that the amendment of the Measurement Law needs to focus on clearly defining the responsibilities of manufacturers, inspection units and operating enterprises. In the digital age, data from remote measuring devices must be recognized as a constant legal basis for resolving disputes.
At the same time, the law needs to establish a "quick inspection request" mechanism, assigning management agencies or independent units to seal and inspect measuring vehicles immediately upon receiving feedback, helping people not have to spend money on self-assessment.
Accurate measurement is the foundation of market confidence. When fraud occurs, the law must have a mechanism for rapid verification and reimbursement. Protecting the accuracy of measurement and the transparency of data is the most effective way to protect fairness in transactions and consumer confidence.
This expert added that a measuring device being detected incorrectly, a business being fined, and equipment being inspected or replaced only solves part of the problem. What people are more concerned about is how the damage that occurred before the time of detection will be handled?.
For example, if an electricity meter is determined to have an unfavorable error for users, it is necessary to clarify when the error started, how much electricity has been calculated higher than reality and on what basis the amount to be refunded is determined? If only handling violations without a clear remedy mechanism, the rights of consumers are still not fully protected.
