During an award ceremony held last week, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) announced the winners of the eighth edition of Premju Servizz bi Tbissima (Service with a Smile Award).

This year’s edition of Premju Servizz bi Tbissima comprised six main categories of sellers, and voting by the public took place between July 19 and August 16.

The winners of each category may be seen in the table below.

The winners and runners-up in the six main categories of sellers of the 2023 edition of Premju Servizz bi Tbissima

This year, over 1,300 different sellers and companies were nominated in the six categories.

The companies that place first in each of the five categories have the right to use the Servizz bi Tbissima logo on their promotional material.

The top five in each category were closely vetted by the Servizz bi Tbissima board to first ensure that the votes received were valid and according to the competition’s terms and conditions. They also checked that the nominated traders and companies were in conformity with the award’s code of conduct in their day-to-day operations.

The companies that placed first in each of category received a trophy, a certificate and the right to use the Servizz bi Tbissima logo on their promotional material.

The award inspirers positivity and adds motivation to businesses to continue improving the quality of the service they provide to consumers- Consumer Rights Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli

Speaking at the award ceremony, Consumer Rights Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said initiatives like the Service with a Smile Award emphasise the importance that should be given to customer care and after-sales service.

Adverts and offers attract consumers to a business, but for a business to succeed and grow there must be trust on the part of the consumer that when a problem arises with the product or service purchased, the seller will be there to help them resolve the problem. It is this service that distinguishes one company from another.

Minister Farrugia Portelli thanked the MCCAA for organising the competition for another year. She said this initiative demonstrates the extent to which the authority is working to strengthen the relationship between consumers and traders. She went on to say that the award inspirers positivity and adds motivation to businesses to continue improving the quality of the service they provide to consumers.

In her address, MCCAA chairperson Helga Pizzuto spoke about how the authority’s mission does not only focus on educating and empowering consumers but also on working together with stakeholders, including businesses and policymakers, to address the multifaceted issues that impact consumer well-being.

Pizzuto explained that to address this challenge, the authority needs to adopt a holistic approach based on open and honest dialogues with stakeholders and that the Service with a Smile initiative is a testimony of the MCCAA’s commitment to foster such dialogues. At the end of her address, she thanked the nominated companies for their commitment and for their collaboration with the authority to build a resilient and prosperous future for consumers in Malta.

Grace Stivala, director general of the Office for Consumer Affairs, spoke about how the Service with a Smile competition is an important tool that contributes to the building of a positive relationship between consumers and sellers.

She said through the competition, consumers show their appreciation towards those traders who offer them a good service and this encourages the business sector to continue to improve their service.

Stivala stressed that sellers should keep themselves up to date with consumer laws in order to ensure they do not have unnecessary complaints that can negatively impact their reputation. She also noted that consumer loyalty plays an important role in the fate of a business and can determine whether a business succeeds or not.