Consumer rights and duties

Consumer rights and duties

A consumer includes anyone and everyone who makes a purchase. It could be a little child who buys an ice-cream to an adult who buys a car to an elderly person who buys fruit. Moreover, it is not only buyers of goods of daily consumption items (foodgrains, fruit, vegetables etc), durable consumer goods (electric irons, mixers, refrigerators etc) but also people who avail of services like banking, insurance and transport facilities like the railway as well as credit cards. In a nutshell, an individual can be a consumer of a good, an eatable or a service.

Rights

• The right to satisfaction of basic needs

To have access to basic, essential goods and services such as food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and sanitation.

• The right to safety

To be protected against products, production processes and services which are hazardous to health or life.

• The right to be informed

To be given the facts needed to make an informed choice, and to be protected against dishonest or misleading advertising and labelling.

• The right to choose

To be able to select from a range of products and services offered at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.

• The right to be heard

To have consumer interests represented in the making and execution of government policy, and in the development of products and services.

• The right to redress

To receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation for imsrepresentation, shoddy goods or unsatisfactory services.

• The right to consumer education

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.

• The right to a healthy environment

To live and work in an environment which is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.

Responsibilities

• Critical awareness

The responsibility to be more alert and questioning about the price and quality of goods and services we use.

• Action

The responsibility to assert ourselves and act to ensure that we get a fair deal. As long as we remain passive consumers we will continue to be exploited.

• Social concern

The responsibility to be aware of the impact of our consumption on other citizens, especially disadvantaged or powerless groups whether in the local, national or international community.

• Environmental awareness

The responsibility to understand the environmental consequences of our consumption. We should recognize our individual and social responsibility to conserve natural resources and protect the earth for future generations.

• Solidarity

The responsibility to organize together as consumers to develop the strength and influence to promote and protect our interests.