CONSUMER
RIGHTS
BY SAJID AHAMED (9H10)
SUB TOPICS :-
1. Meaning of Consumer
2. Objectives of
Consumer Awareness
3. Rights of consumers
WHO IS A CONSUMER ?
A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased
goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household
and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business
activities. The term most commonly refers to a person who purchases
goods and services for personal use.The consumer is the one who is the
end-user of any goods or services. Any person, other than the buyer who
buys the product or services, and consumes the product by taking his/her
permission is categorized as a consumer. Any single or group of people,
other than the buyer who buys the product or services, consumes the
product by seeking his/her permission falls under the category of a
consumer. In simpler words, the consumer can be termed as the end-user
of the goods or services.
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
Commercial consumer :-
These types of consumers buy goods in large quantities, not sure if they need the
product or not. Also, sometimes they associate special needs with their purchase
orders.
Discretionary Spending Consumers :-
These types of consumers have unique buying habits. Usually, they purchase a lot
of clothes and electronic gadgets.
Extroverted Consumer :-
These types of consumers prefer brands that are unique and become loyal
consumers once they gain that trust as a customer for the brand.
Inferior Goods Consumer :-
These types of consumers have low income and buy goods having low prices.
OBJECTIVES OF
CONSUMER AWARENESS
WHAT IS CONSUMER AWARENESS ?
Consumer awareness is the act of ensuring that buyers are informed about the
information and data regarding products, services, and consumer rights. It plays a
crucial role in enabling consumers to make informed decisions and choices.
OBJECTIVES OF CONSUMER AWARENESS
Right to Information: Consumers have the right to access information about the quality,
quantity, strength, standards, and prices of products or services. This empowers them to
make informed decisions and protects them from deceptive practices.
Right to Choose: Consumers should have access to a variety of products and services at
competitive prices. They should be free to choose from different options without coercion.
Right to be Heard: Consumer rights are meaningless without the ability to voice
complaints. Consumers have the right to file grievances and expect a timely response
and resolution.
Right to Seek Redressal: Consumers have the right to seek redressal for claims,
complaints, and disputes against unfair trade practices and exploitation. They can file
complaints under consumer protection laws.
Right to Customer Education: Consumer education is crucial. Consumers need to be
aware of their rights and responsibilities to participate effectively in the market.
RIGHTS OF CONSUMERS
On March 15, 1962, President John F. Kennedy presented a speech to the United
States Congress in which he extolled four basic consumer rights, later called the
Consumer Bill of Rights. The United Nations through the United Nations Guidelines
for Consumer Protection expanded these into eight rights, and thereafter
Consumers International adopted these rights as a charter and started
recognizing March 15 as World Consumer Rights Day.
CONSUMER BILL OF RIGHTS
The Right to Safety :-
The assertion of this right is aimed at the defense of consumers against injuries caused by
products other than automobile vehicles, and implies that products should cause no harm to their
users if such use is executed as prescribed. The right was further formalized in 1972 by the US
federal government through the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This organization has jurisdiction over thousands of
commercial products, and powers that allow it to establish performance standards and require
product testing and warning labels.
The Right to be Informed :-
This right states that business should always provide consumers with enough appropriate
information to make intelligent and informed product choices. Product information provided by
business should always be complete, truthful and also appropriate. Aiming to achieve protection
against misleading information in the areas of financing, advertising, labeling, and packaging,
the right to be informed is protected by several pieces of legislation passed between 1960 and
80.
Some of the legislation which was made because of the assertion of this right include the
following:
Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
Wholesome Meat Act
Truth in Lending Act
Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act
The Right To Choose :-
The right to free choice among product offerings states that consumers should have a variety of
options provided by different companies from which to choose. The federal government has taken
many steps to ensure the availability of a healthy environment open to competition through
legislation including limits on concept ownership through patent law, prevention of monopolistic
business practices through anti-trust legislation, and the outlaw of price cutting and gouging.
The Right to be Heard :-
This right has the ability of consumers to voice complaints and concerns
about a product in order to have the issue handled efficiently and
responsively. While no federal agency is tasked with the specific duty of
providing a forum for this interaction between consumer and producer,
certain outlets exist to aid consumers if difficulty occurs in communication
with an aggrieving party. State and federal attorneys general are
equipped to aid their constituents in dealing with parties who have
provided a product or service in a manner unsatisfactory to the consumer
in violation of an applicable law. Also, the Better Business Bureau is a
national non-governmental organization whose sole agenda is to provide
political lobbies and action on behalf of aggrieved consumers.
The Right to Satisfaction of Basic Needs :-
This right demands that people have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate
food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water, etc.
The Right to Redress
The right to redress provides for consumers to receive a fair settlement of just claims, including
compensation for misrepresentation, shoddy goods, or unsatisfactory services. For example, a
consumer should be able to go to consumer court against mobile phone companies that put
hidden charges on the bill that were not previously explained, or activate ringtones without the
consumer's permission.
The Right to Consumer Education
The right to consumer education states that consumers should be able to acquire knowledge and
skills needed to make informed, confident choices about goods and services while being aware of
basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.
Right to a Healthy Enviroment :-
This is the right to live and work in a work space or home that is non-threatening to the well-being
of present and future generations.
FUN FACT : The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by
the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan
on July 8, 2019. The Bill replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
