For the past two years, the world has been confined to houses. Everyday activities that couldn’t be done without going outside came in at once—from the office to grocery shopping and schools. As the world accepts the new normal, News18 is launching weekly classes for schoolchildren, explaining key chapters with examples of events around the world. While we try to simplify your topics, a request to split a topic can be tweeted @news18dotcom†
In this week’s lesson with News18, we’ll talk about consumer protection, what it is, the rights and responsibilities that a consumer has. Very few consumers are aware of the rights conferred on them by the Consumer Protection Act 2019, which addresses consumer concerns and aims to protect their interests. It replaced the 1986 law.
Who is a consumer?
A consumer is a person who uses or consumes products or goods or uses a service. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, a person who purchases goods or services for consideration, paid or promised, or partially paid and partially promised, or under a deferred payment arrangement is a consumer.
“The Consumer Protection Act 2019 aims to protect and advance the interests of consumers through a rapid and low-cost resolution of their grievances. It extends to all of India. It applies to all types of businesses, whether they are a manufacturer or a merchant, and whether they are supplying goods or providing services, including e-commerce businesses. The law grants certain rights to consumers for the purpose of empowering and protecting their interests,” reads the NCERT class 12 business studies book.
Example: Let’s see an example to get a better understanding. A girl named Radha has gone to the store to buy a television. In this context, Radha is a consumer and the TV is the product. The store or owner is the seller. The same applies when taking a taxi. If Radha takes a taxi to the store, she also becomes the consumer here and the taxi ride is the service that is used. The driver is the seller.
Consumer rights: what is resources?
Protecting consumers from unethical corporate malpractice is the most important role of the law. According to the NCERT book, redressing their grievances in terms of the sale of counterfeit goods, including adding inferior substances to products being sold, provides the sale of counterfeit goods, such as selling a product of less value than the real product. , the sale of products that do not meet the prescribed quality standards, and the sale of duplicate goods.
It also includes deceptive advertisements such as those falsely claiming that a product or service is of superior quality even when it is not, use of malfunctioning weights and measures leading to underweight of products, black marketing and hoarding, overcharging of a product, the supply of defective goods and the supply of products or services of poor quality. Consumers must remain aware of their rights to avoid being exploited.
Furthermore, according to the NCERT chapter, for business organizations they use resources belonging to society. “They have a responsibility to provide such products and provide such services that are in the public interest and would not undermine the public’s trust in them,” it adds.
Example: Again in the context of Radha, if she is going to buy TV she needs to know a few things for sure before buying them – if the TVs are priced right they will function properly, there should be no defects or other claims/offer that the store offers giving should be followed.
If Radha finds a false promise on behalf of the seller, she knows she is being exploited. Radha is not allowed to buy the TV or if she notices any of the defects after the purchase, she must inform the store immediately. Radha has the right to address its grievances when it comes to the sale of defective goods. The shop must then take responsibility and either refund her money or exchange it for better quality oranges to protect Radha’s trust in them.
Consumer rights
Consumer rights include:
Right to security: A consumer can inquire about the quality and warranty of the goods before purchasing them. They have the right to protection against goods and services that endanger life, health and property. A certified product such as ISI must be purchased.
Right to security: They have the right to choose from a variety of products after thoroughly checking all the details about them. This means that marketers have to offer a wide range of products in terms of quality, brand, price, size, etc.
Right to be informed: Before buying, consumers should be informed about all the necessary details of the product to help them buy the right product.
Right to be heard: The consumer may express his grievances about a product or service which should be heard by the trader.
Right to claim: If the consumer feels exploited or dissatisfied with a product, he has the right to seek redress
Right to consumer education: The consumer has the right to acquire knowledge and to be a well-informed consumer. They must be aware of the rights and remedies available in the event that a product or service does not live up to expectations. There are many organizations and companies that actively inform consumers about their rights.
Example: If Radha gets rotten oranges, she needs to know what the rights are as a consumer now. It is her right to be informed and heard. If the problem persists, she should express her grievances and address them to or write to the retailers.
Consumer Responsibilities
Consumers should be aware of the quality of products and services before purchasing them. They should have the freedom to voice their grievances if they experience dissatisfaction with a particular product or service. In addition, they should not indulge in deceptive practices.
When purchasing goods or services, consumers can request a memo that can serve as proof of the purchase made. In addition, they must file a complaint in an appropriate consumer forum in the event that the quality of the goods purchased or the services used are not satisfactory.
They are only allowed to buy standardized goods as they provide quality assurance. Therefore, one should look for the ISI mark on electrical goods, the FPO mark on food products, the hallmark on jewelry, etc. Consumers should read the labels carefully to be informed about prices, net weight, production and expiration dates, etc.
Example: What exactly is Radha’s responsibility as a consumer? If she is disappointed with the TV, she has the right to inform the shopkeepers about it. She can submit a formal complaint about this. The store, in turn, must replace the TV or refund its money, if its claim is correct.
Redressal under the Consumer Protection Act
For the recovery of consumer complaints, the Consumer Protection Act 2019 provides for the establishment of a three-pronged enforcement machine. These will be at the district, state and national levels, called the district commission, the state commission and the national commission respectively. While the National Recovery Commission is established by the central government, the state and district forums are established by the state government.
These forums make it possible to remove the defect in goods or service, replace the defective product with a new one, refund the price paid or make reasonable compensation for any loss or injury suffered by the consumer as a result of the negligence of the opposing party. It also makes it possible, in appropriate circumstances, to pay damages and to cease unfair or restrictive trade practices, as well as to cease and desist the production of dangerous goods.
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