Complaints, Investigations, and Enforcement

CCS prefers complaints to be made in writing, giving as much factual information as possible, to enable an initial assessment of the complaint to be carried out as quickly as possible. For this reason, you are encouraged to file your complaint on our website. However, complaints can also be lodged through the CCS hotline number: 1800-3258282 (airtime charges apply for mobile calls to 1800 service lines). If you do not have access to email, you can send it by post to us at:

Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore
10 Hoe Chiang Road
#08-08
Singapore 089315

(Please mark 'COMPLAINT' clearly on the top left hand corner of the envelope so that we may speed up the processing of your complaint.)

Thank you for contacting CCS.  We are committed to serving you to the best of our abilities and seek your understanding, patience and respect to create a positive service experience. Please note that our officers may stop responding or take other appropriate action if they encounter unreasonable or abusive language/behaviour.

To investigate a complaint, CCS often needs to reveal the information obtained and the source of that information. However, CCS will protect your identity as far as possible if there is a good reason. If you are concerned about the disclosure of your identity, you should raise this with CCS as soon as possible.

If you think any of the information you provide might seriously damage your commercial interests if it is disclosed, you should clearly mark it as confidential and explain why it should be treated as such. You should try to limit the amount of information to be regarded as confidential. CCS does not accept blanket requests for confidentiality. If CCS considers it necessary to reveal any of the confidential information you have provided, CCS will discuss this with you.

CCS will first check that the complaint falls within the scope of its powers under the Act. If it does not, CCS may redirect you to the relevant agency. If the complaint is without basis or cannot be substantiated, the matter will be closed. CCS will inform you if it does not propose to take any further action. 

If the complaint can be substantiated with the relevant information, CCS will evaluate and assess whether the activity or conduct complained of is likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition. 

If the complaint is well-founded, and CCS's enquiry into the matter finds that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that competition law has been infringed, CCS may open a formal investigation. You may also be asked to provide further information. In deciding whether to open a formal investigation, CCS will also take into account its resources and other priorities.

After a complaint is received, CCS may carry out informal checks and make informal enquiries to the business to clarify the situation or get more information.

CCS will open a formal investigation only when it has reasonable grounds to suspect that the Competition Act has been infringed. CCS is empowered to issue notices to require businesses and their owners/managers/employees to provide information and documents. In certain circumstances, CCS has the power to enter premises (with or without a warrant) to obtain the necessary evidence in the form of documents, equipment or information. A person who is guilty of an offence in refusing to produce the documents or give information or produces false or misleading information, may be liable to a fine and/or imprisonment. 

Where CCS proposes to make a decision that the sections 34 or 47 prohibition has been infringed, it will give written notice to the business and give the business an opportunity to make representations to CCS. CCS will then make a decision after considering any representations made.

CCS may approach businesses for a variety of reasons. These include informal queries to clarify the situation or gather more information on particular market sectors for research purposes. You do not have to be unduly alarmed and are advised to cooperate with CCS. CCS may also approach you in connection with informal enquiries/investigation involving someone else. You will be informed if CCS approaches you in connection with a formal investigation of your business. Formal investigations will always involve written documents setting out the nature of the investigation.

You are advised to inform CCS immediately and state to the best of your knowledge where such documents or information can be found.

CCS may issue directions, for example, to require the business to stop or modify the activity or conduct and impose a financial penalty on the business. The financial penalty will only be imposed if CCS is satisfied that the infringement was committed intentionally or negligently. A financial penalty, which is imposed on the business entity itself, shall not exceed 10% of the turnover of the business in Singapore for each year of the infringement up to a maximum of 3 years. You can refer to the CCS Guidelines on the Appropriate Amount of Penalty in Competition Cases for information.

If the business disagrees with CCS's decision that there is an infringement as well as the directions and/or financial penalty to be imposed, it can appeal to the Competition Appeal Board. The Competition Appeal Board is an independent body comprising members appointed by the Minister for Trade and Industry. The current Chairman is former Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court, Mr Tan Puay Boon. If a business is not satisfied with the decision of the Competition Appeal Board, it may appeal to the High Court and thereafter to the Court of Appeal, but only on a point of law and the amount of the financial penalty.