CONSUMER

RIGHTSBY :SATISH KUMAR

SINGH 10 - B

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CONTENTWHO IS A CONSUMER

DUTIES OF CONSUMERSHOW CONSUMERS

ARE EXPLOITEDFACTORS CAUSING EXPLOITATION OF

CONSUMERSCONSUMER MOVEMENTNEED OF CONSUMER MOVEMENTCONSUMER

MOVEMENT IN INDIACONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,

1986IMPORTANT DAYSRIGHT TO BE HEARD

RIGHT TO INFORMATION

RIGHT TO CHOOSERIGHT TO SAFETY

RIGHT TO SEEK REDRESSALRIGHT TO CONSUMER EDUCATION

MORE TO KNOWWHERE SHOULD CONSUMER GO TO

GET JUSTICE

WHO IS A CONSUMERçA person who has indicated his or her willingness to obtain goods and/or services from a supplier with the intention of paying for them.

ç Someone who has purchased goods and/or services for personal consumption

• A person or group of people, such as a household, who are the final users of products or services. The consumer's use is final in the sense that the product is usually not improved by the use.

Consumers’ organisation

s The first organisation was

established in 1960 as the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU).

Consumers’ organizations may operate by protests and campaigning.

DUTIES OF CONSUMERS‼ Buying quality products at

reasonable price.‼ To check the weights and measures before making purchases‼ Reading the label carefully.‼ To procure the bill, cash received warranty, etc.‼ Shopping carefully and wisely‼ Understanding the terms of the sale‼ Reading and following instructions‼ Getting guarantees in writing‼ Saving receipts‼ Asking questions at point of sale‼ Keeping informed about new products

HOW CONSUMERS ARE EXPLOITEDDue to the expansion of

business activities in an economy, we have a variety of goods available in the market. The demand for goods and services is influenced by the advertisements in television, newspaper and magazines. The companies spend a considerable amount on a advertisements alone attract consumers and feed information that they want us to know, but not the information that we as consumers want. When we, as consumer, do not have sufficient information about the products, we normally get exploited and are sometimes even harassed by business community.

FACTORS CAUSING EXPLOITATION OF CONSUMERS

¡ Limited Information : In a capitalist economy, producers and sellers are free to produce any goods or services in any quantity and there is no regulation on the prices. In the absence of information about different aspects of the products, namely, price, quality, condition of use, etc., the consumers are liable to make a wrong choice and lose money.

¡ Limited Supplies : The consumers are exploited when the goods and services are not available in the required quantity or numbers. This gives us rise to hoarding and price-escalation.

¡ Limited Competition : When only one producer or group of producer or a group of persons controls the production and supply of a product, and is in a position to restrict the availability of supplies, there is a possibility of manipulation in prices and availability.

¡ Illiteracy : Illiteracy is one of the major drawbacks that lead to the exploitation of consumers. The level of literacy directly affects the level of awareness about products and the market.

CONSUMER MOVEMENTConsumer movements arose out of the

following:‡ Dissatisfaction of the consumers as many

unfair practices were being indulged in by the sellers.

‡ There was no legal system available for consumers to protect them from exploitation in the market place.

NEED OF CONSUMER MOVEMENT

† Providing consumer education.

† Providing consumer protection.

† Building pressure on government .

† Arranging consumer protection programmes.

† Organizing public opinion.† Providing guidance to

consumer.† Fight against marketing

system † Consumer awareness

CONSUMER MOVEMENT IN INDIA

It took many years for organisations in India and around the world, to create awareness amongst people. In India, the consumer movement as a social force originated with promoting the interests of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices. Rampat food shortages, hording, black marketing, adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to the consumer movement in an organised form in the 1960s.A major step taken in 1986 by the Indian government was the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act 1986, popularly known as COPRA.

CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 1986 Consumer Protection Act, 1986, popularly known as COPRA, is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted in 1986 to protect interests of consumers in India. Effective safeguards are provided to the consumer, against various types of exploitations and unfair dealings,relying mainly on compensatory rather than a disciplinary or preventive approach under the Act.

• It applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted, which covers the private, public and cooperative sectors. It also provides speedy and inexpensive.. The Right to Information Act (RTI), which has opened up governance processes of our country to the common public, also has far-reaching implications for consumer protection.

IMPORTANT DAYS

NATIONAL CONUMER RIGHT DAY - National Consumers Right Day was observed across India on 24 December 2013. The day is being observed on 24 December, since the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted on this day in 1986.

WORLD CONSUMER RIGHT DAY - Every year 15th March is observed as "World Consumer Rights Day". It commemorates a historic declaration (1962) by former US President John F. Kennedy of four basic consumer rights.

CONSUMER RIGHTS

Right to be

heard

Right to informa

tion

Right to

choose

Right to

safety

Right to seek

redresssal

Right to consumer education

RIGHT TO BE HEARD Right to be heard means that consumer's interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. It also includes right to be represented in various forums formed to consider the consumer's welfare. The consumers should form non-political and non-commercial consumer organizations which can be given representation in various committees formed by the Government and other bodies in matters relating to consumers.

RIGHT TO INFORMATIONThe conumer has the

right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices. Consumer should insist on getting all the information about the product or service before making a decision. Consumer can then complain and ask for compensation or replacement if the product proves to be defective in any manner. This enables the consumer to act wisely and responsibly and also enable him to desist from falling prey to high pressure selling techniques.

RIGHT TO CHOOSEThe consumer has right to be assured, wherever possible of access to variety of goods and services at competitive price. This right can be better exercised in a competitive market where a variety of goods are available at competitive prices. Any consumer who recieves a service in whatever capacity, regardless of age, gender and nature of service, has the right to choose whether to continue to recieve the service.

RIGHT TO SAFTEYThe conumers have the right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services, which are hazardous to life and property. Producers need to strictly follow the required safety rules and regulations. There are many goods and services that we puchase that require special attention to safety. Before purchasing, consumers should insist on the quality of the products as well as on the guarantee of the products and services. They should preferably purchase quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK, etc.

RIGHT TO SEEK REDRESSAL Consumers have the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation. It also includes right to fair settlement of the genuine grievances of the consumer. Consumers must make complaint for their genuine grievances.

• Many a times their complaint may be of small value but its impact on the society as a whole may be very large. They can also take the help of consumer organizations in seeking redressal of their grievances. A consumer can claim compensation for damage caused by any product or service. He/She can file a case in the consumer court against the shopkeeper or manufacturer.

RIGHT TO CONSUMER EDUCATION

The right to acquire the knowledge and skill to be an informed consumer throughout life. Ignorance of consumers,particularly of rural consumers, is mainly responsible for their exploitation.

• They should know their rights and must exercise them. The government or other organisation should make attempts to educate citizens about various aspects of consumer welfare.Only then real consumer protection can be achieved with success.

WHY CONSUMER EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT

† It provides the person with the basic knowledge to handle consumer problem, he/she becomes a discriminating buyer by taking rational decisions, and thus not fall prey to advertisements or persuasions.

† Technological developments have flooded the market with a variety of products, goods and services, it is therefore important that a person possesses basic knowledge and skills to judge the product.

† School children are mostly dependent on their parents, it is therefore important that they make the best use of their pocket money.

† Consumers education can alert the pupils to the corporate dumping of dangerous pharmaceuticals and similar products.

MORE TO KNOWWhile buying many commodities, on the cover you might have seen a logo with the letters ISI, Agmark, Hallmark. These logos and certifications help consumers get assured of quality while purchasing the goods and services. The organisations that monitor and issue these certificates allow produces to use their logos provided they follow certain quality standards.

WHERE SHOULD CONSUMER GO TO GET JUSTICE

Consumers have the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices and exploitation in the consumer court. If any damage is done to a consumer, he or she has the right to get compensation depending on the degree of damage. The consumer movement in India has led to the formation of various organization locally known as consumers forum or consumers protection council, they guide Consumers on how to file cases in the consumer court, on many occasions they also represent individual consumers in the consumer court.

Under COPRA a three- tier system is set up at the district, state and National level for redressal of consumer disputes. Various claims are delt with by these courts as given below :

¢ District level : Up to Rs 20 Lakhs.¢ State level : Between Rs 20 Lakhs

and Rs 1 Crore.

¢National level : Exceeding Rs 1 CroreIf a case is dismissed in district level court, the consumer can appeal in the state and then in the National level court.

I Hope You Understood Some Think From This Chapter

Made By1 . Satish Kumar Singh2. Mohit Sharma

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR ATTENTION