Question

State any four rights of the consumer.

Explain the rights of the consumers.

State rights of the consumer.

Explain any four rights of consumers.

Answer 1

Some of the rights of consumers are as follows:

1. Right to Safety: This right protects consumers against products, production processes, and services that are hazardous to health or life. It includes consideration of consumers’ long-term interests as well as their immediate needs. Under this right, consumers must receive full protection for their life and health. This safety should apply to medicines, electrical appliances, food, and other items. The GOI has established safety standards under AGMARK, ISI, BIS, and Hallmark, among others.
2. Right to Information: Under this right, a consumer should be provided with adequate information about all aspects of goods and services, including price, the manufacturer's name, the materials used, the batch number (if any), the date of manufacture, the expiry date, the user manual, and safety instructions. This right also enables the consumer to select the right product or service. It applies to food products, medicines, spare parts, and other consumer products or services.
3. Right to Choose: The choices available to Indian consumers across the basket of goods and services have multiplied, including telecommunications, travel and tourism, banking, electronics, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Under this right, a consumer should be free to choose an article based on their requirements, preferences, and purchasing capacity. The right to choose is related to the concept of a free-market economy. As per this right, the seller can not compel the consumer to buy a particular product and hence, monopoly is prevented.
4. Right to be heard: Every business organisation should listen to and solve the complaints of consumers. Under this right, consumers can lodge complaints with the consumer forum. Consumers also provide feedback to manufacturers and traders on matters such as quality, quantity, price, and packaging. Today, consumers can file complaints online via the portal or mobile apps.
5. Right to Consumer Education: Every consumer has the right to know about consumer rights and solutions to their problems. This right creates consumer awareness. An aware consumer can make a rational choice of goods and services and protect his rights and interests from the exploitation of unscrupulous businessmen. Thus, consumer education is a priority. It is necessary to provide education and training on applicable laws and legal processes. The government, media, and NGOs play vital roles in this regard. E.g., the ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ campaign.
6. Right to Represent: The act provides an opportunity for individuals and consumer groups to represent consumers’ interests before the consumer forum. The act allows the consumer to be represented by a person who is not a professional advocate. This provision recognizes the consumer’s right to representation.
7. Right to Redress: This right enables the consumer to demand repair, replacement or compensation for defective products and for poor services. According to the Consumer Protection Act, three-tier quasi-judicial consumer dispute redressal machinery is established for the settlement of claims, such as the District Commission at the district level, the State Commission at the state level, and the National Commission at the national level. Consumers are protected from business malpractices.
8. Right to Healthy Environment: All consumers have a right to a healthy and clean environment. Under this right, consumers can seek action against pollution-causing business organisations. All consumers have the right to a healthy, clean environment now and in the future.
9. Right to Protection from Unfair Business Practices: Under this right, all consumers are protected against unfair business practices, including black marketing, profiteering, faulty weights and measures, exorbitant prices, and adulteration.
10. Right against spurious goods: This right is against the marketing of goods that are hazardous to health, spurious, and pose a danger to life itself.