Consumer Rights and Duties

Consumer Rights:

The Consumer Protection Act provides for six rights of consumers. These rights include:

1. Right to be Heard-

• The consumer has a right to file a complaint and to be heard in case of dissatisfaction with a good or a service.

• That’s why many pioneer business firms such as amazon , Flipkart , Samsung etc. have set up their own consumer service and grievance cells.

2. Right to Safety-

• This right protect the consumer against goods and services which are harmful to human life and health.

• For example – low quality Electrical appliances which are manufactured and do not fulfill the safety norms might cause serious injury. Therefore, consumers are advised that they should use electrical appliances which are ISI marked as this would be an assurance to the consumer that he/she is using the products meeting quality specifications.

3. Right to seek Redressal (Remedy/Solution)-

• The consumer has a right to get relief in case the product or service falls short of his expectations or he/she founds the products dangerous.

• For example – the consumer may be provided a number of reliefs such as replacement of the product, removal of defect in the product, compensation paid for any loss or injury suffered by the consumer, etc.

4. Right to be Informed-

• According to this Right – The consumer has a right to have complete information about the product before he/she buys it.

• This information may include its ingredients, date of manufacture, price, quantity, directions for use, etc.

• It is legal obligation for the manufactures to provide such information on the package and label of the product.

5. Right to Consumer Education-

• The consumer has a right to acquire knowledge and to be a well informed consumer throughout life that’s why He should be aware about his rights and the reliefs available to him/her in case of a product or service falling short of his expectations.

Question- what are the steps taken by government to spread consumer education?

Answer- for spreading consumer education , first of all the government of India has included this chapter of consumer protection in the school curriculum and secondly, they are making use of mass media to spread awareness among the consumers about their rights.

6. Right to Choose-

• According to this right – The consumer has the freedom to choose any product as per his/her interest out of all the options available to him/her.

• This means that the marketers should offer a wide variety of products in terms of quality, brand, prices, size, etc. and allow the consumer to make a choice from amongst these and there should not be any type of compulsion on the consumer to buy or take a particular product or service.

Consumer Responsibilities/Duties:

A consumer should keep in mind the following Responsibilities/Duties while purchasing, using and consuming goods and services:

1. Be aware about various goods and services available in the market so that an intelligent and wise choice can be made.

For example – if we want to purchase a toothpaste. We should know various toothpaste brands and their plus and minus.

2. Learn about the Risks associated with products & Follow instructions related to the product and use it safely.

3. Buy only Standardized goods as they provide quality assurance.

For example – check for ISI mark on electrical goods, FPO mark on food products, Hallmark on jewelry, etc.

4. Be Honest in your dealings. Choose only from legal goods and services and discourage unfair trade practices such as black-marketing, hoarding, etc.

5. Assert yourself to ensure that you get a fair deal.

6. Read labels carefully so as to have information about prices, net weight, manufacturing and expiry dates, etc.

7. Ask for a cash memo (bill) on purchase of goods or services. This would serve as a proof of the purchase made.

8. File a complaint in an appropriate consumer forum in case you are not satisfied with the quality of goods purchased or services availed. Do not fail to take an action even when the amount involved is small.

9. Form Consumer societies which would play an active part in educating consumers and safeguarding their interests.

10. Respect the environment. Avoid waste and contributing to pollution.

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