The cost of goods and services is the main cause of complaints by consumers, according to the Consumer Institute (INKA) in Macedonia, northern Greece, which made its records for the last three years public yesterday.

INKA said that almost 10 percent of the 25 complaints that it receives on average each day relate to the prices consumers are required to pay for goods and services.

The quality of food is also a chief gripe among shoppers in the region. More than 8 percent of people who contact INKA do so to complain about bad food products or the lack of hygiene in stores.

Slimming centers also came in for criticism from consumers: Almost 7 percent of the gripes that INKA dealt with were connected to weight-loss businesses.

INKA said it had received some 22,500 calls from people living in the region since 2003.