CONSUMER AWARENESS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS:

AN OVERVIEW

Author
Dr.G.NEDUMARAN
Associate professor, Department of Commerce, Alagappa University, Karaikudi.
Mobile: 9789153850
Mail ID:[email protected]

Co-Author
Mrs.D.MEHALA
Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Alagappa University, Karaikudi.
Mail ID: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Consumers are the largest economic group in any country. They are the central point of
all economic activities. The ultimate aim of production, storage and distribution is to ensure
consumption of goods and services to the satisfaction of the consumers. Consumer awareness
means being conscious of having knowledge about the various consumer production laws, redress
mechanism and the consumer rights which include right to protection of health and safety from
goods and services that the consumer buy, right to be informed about the quality, price, potency,
purity and standard of good, right to choose the best from a variety of others, right to get
representation if there is any grievance or suggestion, and right to seek redress against unfair trade
practice or unscrupulous exploitation. The Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1986 to protect
the consumers from unfair trade practices. There are certain rights provided to every consumer by
the Consumer Protection Act. Every consumer must be aware of the consumer rights and
responsibilities. In the present study, an attempt was made to find the awareness levels among the
rural consumer. To collect the data, 150 sample respondents were selected from Alagappa
University in Karaikudi district of Tamilnadu state.

Keywords: Consumer, Consumer Protection, Consumer Rights, Consumer Responsibilities.

I.INTRODUCTION

Consumer  is that the one that hires or avails of any services for

a thought that has been paid and partially secure or beneath any system
of payment. However client exploitation is extremely rampant recently. Shoppers get exploited
in many ways through the lot of dominating and knowledgeable sources. On the opposite
hand, shoppers need to bear in mind not solely of the business sides of sale and get of
products however additionally of the health and security aspect. Besides this, they must bear in
mind of their rights and duties being as rational citizenry viz., value and quality of product utilized
by them, concerning truthful value outlets, standardization of product, concerning client Forums
etc. Therefore, client exploitation ought to be bought down with correct awareness to
the shoppers on their rights and the way they may move with things, if they feel they need been
cheated. n the globalization, relief and privatization era, most of the economic choices are taken by
the market. Though, the government has withdrawn itself from several economic activities, it
interferes fairly often once the market mechanism fails thanks to structural rigidities within
the economy and different factors, to give product and services to the folks. Consumption is one of
the necessary economic activities, which needs regular government intervention, as market is
unable to push security and welfare aspects of the shoppers. On the opposite hand, shoppers need
to bear in mind not solely of the business sides of sale and get of products however additionally of
the health and security aspect additionally. Besides this, they must bear in mind of their rights and
duties being as rational citizenry.

CONSUMER RIGHTS

The best place to start off is to discuss the first four basic rights that JFK helped to bring about for
consumers. Before consumers had these rights, businesses had little to no responsibility when it
came to hearing and compensating for customers’ complaints about their products.

1) The Right to Safety: This right refers to any product, other than an automobile, that may cause
bodily harm to the consumer when used as it was intended to be used. This right gained further
attention in 1972, when the US government formed the Consumer Product Safety Commission,
which set up safety and performance standards for products, requiring them to be tested and carry
warning labels if necessary. Conversely, the consumer’s responsibility here is to use the product
safely, follow all directions, and to be aware of any future warnings regarding the product.

2) The Right to Be Informed: Here, it is the company’s responsibility to provide accurate and

truthful information so that the consumer is able to make intelligent and informed choices. This
right covers all products, but its original aim was to eradicate misleading information in the areas of
financing, advertising, labeling, and packaging. Some examples of the legislation passed as a result
of this right include the Wholesome Meat Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Fair Packaging
and Labeling Act. The responsibility of the consumer lies in their obligation to analyze this product
information, and to use it wisely.
3) The Right to Choose: Consumers not only have the right to a variety of options to choose from,
but the environment in which the products and services are offered must be healthy, and conducive
to fair competition. The government has promoted this environment by passing legislation
regarding patent law, anti-trusts, and price-cutting and gouging. The responsibility of the consumer
is to simply make their choices carefully.

4) The Right to be heard: Consumers have the right to express their complaints and concerns,
resulting not only in safer goods and services, but also for the creation of laws regarding this safety.
There’s no official forum for these complaints to be heard, but state and federal attorney generals,
as well as organizations like the Better Business Bureau deal with these situations all of the time.
It’s a consumer’s responsibility to express their concern when necessary.

5) The Right to Satisfy Basic Needs: People have a right to have access to basic fundamental
needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, sanitation, water, etc. Not only should
consumers have access to these necessities, they should be responsible enough to consume these
items sustainably, so that not only are they fulfilled, but so others can have their needs met, as well.

6) The Right to Redress: If a consumer has lost money or otherwise felt cheated due to
misrepresentation, shoddy products, or unsatisfactory services, they have the right to request money
or other benefits to make up for their loss. The responsibility that lies with them is to seek
appropriate compensation if a wrong is committed, in order to any wrongdoings are unacceptable.

7) The Right to Consumer Education: Consumers have the right to make the best-informed
decision when making a purchase and this information should be readily available, and easy to
understand. It is their duty to remain properly informed as the nature of products evolves over time
and information changes.

8) The Right to a Healthy Environment: Expanding out from consumers rights, and into basic
human rights, people have the right to live and work in an environment that is healthy non-
threatening. This is not only for the people now, but also for future generations, and their
responsibility is to make choices that minimize their environmental impact on the people of today
and tomorrow.
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Dr.S.Mohan and V.Suganthi (2015), have studied in their research work entitled the Rural
Consumers Awareness about Consumers Rights. The study conducted to know the awareness level
of rural consumers about the consumer’s rights. The study revealed that there is significant
association between age, educational qualification, marital status and monthly income of rural
consumers and their awareness about consumer rights. And there in significant association between
gender, type of family, occupation and monthly income of rural consumers and their level of
consumer rights awareness.

Jamuna (2016), searched under the title, Consumer awareness and attitudes towards Consumer
Protection Act1986. The study was conducted to find the consumer awareness level. In the study,
responses were taken from the respondents related with consumer responsibilities. Majority
respondents had given first rank to get guarantee and warranty card. It was also found that 67.14%
respondents have awareness about the consumer forums and53.21% respondents felt that
formalities are simple. Majority respondents disagreed with the argument that Consumer awareness
increased with Consumer Protection Act. 25% respondents felt that trade has increased due to
Consumer Protection Act. Only 20% respondents had given the opinion that Consumer Protection
Act created quality consciousness among the consumers.

Deepika, D.Ratan Kumari (2014), A Study on Awareness on Legal act of Consumer Protection
among Students. The study was conducted to find the awareness level among the students towards
various consumer protection legislations. Majority respondents are aware of the Indian Penal Code,
1860. Majority respondents are aware of various acts. Low level of awareness was reported towards
the Hire Purchase Act and the Railway Claims and Tribunal Act. In the study, it was found that
majority students getting awareness through newspapers, journals and from course syllabi. The
awareness towards Consumer Protection Act is 53.3%

III. NEED FOR THE STUDY

Consumer awareness means being conscious of and having knowledge about the various
consumer protection laws, redress mechanism and the consumer which include rights to protection
of health and safety from goods and services that the consumers buy; right to be informed about
quality, quantity, price, potency, purity, and standard of goods; right to choose the best from a
variety of offers, right to consumer education; right to get representation if there is any grievance or
suggestion, and right to seek redress against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of
consumers. This study of consumer awareness is the study of how individuals make decision on
spending their available resource of money, time and effort on consumption-related items.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

 To review the existing Consumer Rights and Protection framework in India.

 To analyze the awareness level of consumers towards consumer rights.

 To offer valuable suggestions to improve the awareness level based on the findings of the
study.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The Data collection was confined from Alagappa University in Karaikudi district of
Tamilnadu state. In the study, consumer’s awareness level towards consumer rights, and consumer
protections laws was studied. The data was collected in the month of January 2019.

HYPOTHESIS

 There is no significant relationship between Consumer awareness and Consumer Rights.

 There is no significant relationship between Consumer Protection and

Consumer Rights

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 Primary Data: Data collected from the target respondents through Structured
Questionnaire.
 Secondary Data: Data collected from different source such as Journals, Books,
Magazines, Publications, Report and Internet.
 Sample size: 150
 Sampling Method: Convenience sampling
EXISTING CONSUMER RIGHTS AND PROTECTION FRAMEWORK IN INDIA.

One of the most important milestones in the area of consumer protection/consumer

movement in the country has been the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. It was a
progressive and comprehensive piece of legislation of its time, covering all goods and services. The
Act ensures the rights of consumer for safety, information, choice, representation, and redressal and
consumer education, and provides for a simple, speedy and inexpensive redressal to the consumers’
in the nature of a specific nature and also awards compensation, wherever appropriate, to the
consumer. An exclusive three tier redressal machinery as an alternative to the civil court and other
legal remedies available in the country has been established under the Act, wherein an aggrieved
consumer can seek redressal against any defect in the goods purchased or deficiencies in services
availed, including restrictive/unfair trade practices adopted by such manufacturer and trader of
goods/service provider. In the past thirty years more than 4.3 million consumer cases were
adjudicated and decided by the consumer form.

SECTORAL LAWS PROTECTING CONSUMERS IN INDIA

Besides the Consumer Protection Act 1986, various laws and Regulations in India
protect the interests of consumers, some of which are:

1. The Bureau of Indian Standard Act 2016

The Bureau of  Indian Standards (BIS) Act 2016 establishes BIS because
the National Standards Body of India. Besides containing provisions for establishing voluntary
standards, the Act additionally contains provisions to bring beneath required certification regime
any article, method or service that it considers necessary from purpose of read of health,
safety, surroundings, bar of deceptive practices, security etc. sanctioning provisions
have additionally been created for creating hallmarking of the dear metal articles necessary. The
Act permits multiple varieties of conformity assessment schemes, together with Self Declaration of
Conformity against any commonplace that provides simplified choices to makers to stick to the
standards and obtain certificate of conformity. It permits the Central Government to appoint any
authority, additionally to the BIS, to verify the conformity of merchandise and services to a
regular and issue certificate of conformity.

2. The Legal Science Act 2009

The Act has acquired force on 01.04.2011 and has repealed the Standards of Weights
& Measures Act, 1976 & Standards of Weights & Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985. the
govt ensures through the Act that each one weight and live used for trade or commerce or for
defense of human health and safety area unit correct and reliable so users area unit secure for
proper Weighmentand activity. 
3. The Essential Commodities Act 1955
The Act empowers the govt to control costs, production, supply, distribution etc. of
essential commodities for maintaining or increasing their provides and for securing
their just distribution and handiness at honest costs. Most of the powers beneath the
Act are delegated by the Central Government to the State Governments with the direction that they
shall exercise these powers. 

4. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

The Act envisages regulation of manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import
of food to confirm handiness of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and
for customers connected with that. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has
been established beneath this Act for birthing down scientific standards for articles of foods and to
control their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to confirm handiness of safe and
wholesome food for human consumption.

5. The Contract Act 1872

The Act binds folks on their guarantees created during a contract. The

Act additionally provides remedies accessible to parties just in case of breach of contract.

6. The Sale of Goods Act 1930

The act provides safeguard and relief to customers just in case merchandise don't seem to

be obliging with the expressed conditions and guarantee.

7. The Competition Act, 2002

The Act governs Indian competition law. It replaced the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade
Practices Act, 1969. below this legislation, the Competition Commission of Republic of India
country nation was established to forestall the activities that have associate
degree adverse impact on competition in India. it's a tool to implement and enforce competition
policy and to forestall and penalize anti-competitive business practices
by corporations and unessential Government interference within the market. Competition law is
equally applicable on written similarly as oral agreement, arrangements between the enterprises or
persons.

8. The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954

The medication and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 
The Act controls advertising of medicine in Asian nation. It prohibits advertisements of
medicine and remedies that claim to own sorceries properties, and makes
doing thus a knowable offence. The act defines "magic remedy" as any charm, mantra, charm or the
other object, that is claimed to own miraculous powers to cure, diagnose, stop or mitigate
an illness in humans or animal. 

CONSUMER GRIEVANCE RESOLUTION

The Government has been conducting a state multimedia system awareness campaign
since 2005 on numerous problems associated with shopper rights and responsibilities
across various subjects. “Jago Grahak Jago” [Awake shoppers awake] has these days become
a family axiom. a lot of recently, joint substance campaigns are launched in partnership with
the connected Government Departments/ Organizations that cope with a mass shopper people. as an
example, on food, with the Food Safety Standards Authority of Asian country nation (FSSAI)
on money services with the Federal Reserve Bank of India (RBI); and on medicines with the
National Pharmaceutical evaluation Authority (NPPA) through numerous electronic
and medium like TV, Radio, Newspapers and out of doors advertising. The patron awareness
campaign is enforced through the board of directors of Audio and visual substance (DAVP).

NATIONAL CONSUMER HELPLINE

Government of   nation has discovered a National shopper Helpline (NCH), with

a fee range 1800-11-4000 or 14404, that provides recommendation, info and sterage to
empower shoppers and persuade businesses to reorient their policy and management systems to
handle shopper issues and grievances adopting world standards. The NCH responds
to over forty,000 complaints in a very month, and it's partnered with over three
hundred major firms to whom complaints are transferred on-line for resolution
and obtaining feedback from them. associate degree Integrated Grievance Redress Mechanism
(INGRAM) portal was launched for conveyance all stakeholders like shoppers, Central
and authorities Agencies, non-public firms, regulators, Ombudsmen and decision centers etc. on
to one platform. The portal helps in making awareness among shoppers to guard their rights and
inform them of their responsibilities.

STATE CONSUMER HELPLINES

 State shopper Helplines are created by State Governments with the target to
encourage Alternate shopper Disputes Redressal mechanism at State level
and facilitate in breakdown cases through mediation.

SMART CONSUMER APPLICATION

The govt has launched a mobile application “Smart Consumer” to modify the

patron to scan the code of the merchandise and obtain all details of the merchandise like name
of the merchandise, details of manufacturer, year and month of manufacture, web content
and shopper care details for creating criticism just in case of any defect.

GRIEVANCES AGAINST MISLEADING ADVERTISEMENTS (GAMA)

In its Endeavour  to deal with the

matter of dishonorable advertisements, the govt has launched a portal known as “Grievances
Against dishonorable Advertisements (GAMA)”.for registering complaints on-line. A shopper will
register a criticism along side a replica / video / audio of such publicity through the online portal.
ONLINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

A web shopper Mediation Centre, established at the National school of

law of Republic of India University, Bangalore underneath the aegis of Ministry
Of shopper Affairs, Government of Republic of India aims to produce for
a progressive infrastructure for breakdown shopper disputes each through physical in
addition as on-line mediation through its platform.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

TABLE: I
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS

Particulars Frequency Percent Cumulative

percentage
18-20 45 30 30
20-22 36 24 54
22-24 40 26.7 80.7
Above 24 29 19.3 100
Total 150 100
 The above table indicates that out of 150 respondents 30% of the
respondents fall under the category of 18-20.19.3 under the category of above 24.Thus a
majority of the respondents fall in the 18-20

TABLE: II
GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS

Particulars Frequency Percent Cumulative percent

Male 76 50.7 50.7
Female 74 49.3 100
Total 150 100

The above table indicates that out of 150 respondents 50.7% of the respondents fall
under the category of male, 49.3% under the category of Female. Thus a majority of the
respondents fall in the male.

CHART: I
GENDER WISE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESPONDENTS

Hear by majority of the respondents i.e., 50.7% are belongs to the gender of 76
followed by 49.3% of the respondents are belongs to the age of least.
TABLE: III
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

Particulars Frequency Percent Cumulative Percent

UG 38 33 12
PG 53 27.7 42
Research scholars 59 39.3 46
Total 150 100

The above table indicates that out of 150 respondents 39.3% of the fall
respondents under the category of research scholars level, 12% under the category of UG
Level. Thus a majority of the respondents fall Research scholars in level.

TABLE: IV
MEASURING CONSUMER RIGHTS AWARENESS

Consumer Fully percen Partly percen Not percen Total

Rights aware t aware t Aware t

Right to 59 (43%) 48 35% 31 22% 150

Safety
Right to 51 37% 53 38% 34 25% 150
informed
Right to 49 (6% 39 28% 50 36% 150
choose
Right to be 55 40% 45 33% 38 28% 150
heard
Right to 45 33% 39 28% 54 39% 150
seek
redressal
Right to 26 16% 44 32% 72 52% 150
basic needs
Right to 46 30% 37 27% 60 43% 150
consumer
education
Right to 57 41% 46 33% 35 25% 150
healthy
environment
Consumer rights awareness can be measured. 52% respondents are fully aware
of the „Right to be heard‟. About 50% respondents are fully aware of „Right to safety‟, „Right to
be informed‟, „Right to choose‟. 40% of the respondents have full awareness about „Right to seek
redressal‟. Only 20% respondents are fully aware of „Right to basic needs‟. It can be concluded
that on an average 39% respondents are fully aware of their rights. 33% of the respondents are
partially aware of the consumer rights and 28% respondents are unaware of the consumer rights. It
can be concluded that consumer rights awareness among students are moderate.
 TABLE: V
There is no significant relationship between age and consumer rights awareness.

Education Fully Aware General Not Aware Total (%)

Aware
UG 9(0%) 8(3%) 39(97%) 31
PG 2(6%)) 10(30% 31(64%) 33
Research 7 (18%)) 13(33%) 19(49% 39
scholars
Total 18(13%) 31(22%) 89(65%) 150
Education and Consumer Rights Awareness Calculated χ2 value 25.54
Degrees of freedom value at 5% level of significance 12.592.The Table reveals that more
educated respondents are more aware than low education respondents. Chi2 test also reveals
that there is significant relationship between the level of education and the level of consumer
rights awareness, as the calculated value is more than the table value. Null hypothesis was
rejected.

CONCLUSION

Consumer could be a important element of society, and

business depends on shopper. Once things are short in market, or some specific products are
becoming short, have less provide then customers haven't any selection apart from to shop
for those products on high costs. If they struggle to urge product on low rates then they
get caliber material, need to face deceptive advertisements etc. deceptive advertisements talk
over with the faux or improperly sent messages concerning totally different product, that tell
that the merchandise is of prime quality however the truth is totally different.

REFERENCES
1) Niraj Kumar, Consumer Protection Law and Practice (2012), Himalaya Publishing House,
Mumbai.
2) P.K.Majumder, Law of Consumer Protection in India, Orient Publishing Company, New
Delhi, 1995.
3) Gupta, S.P., and Gupta M.P., “Business Statistics”, Sultan Chand, vol14, 2006.
4) https://rccp.gov.in/consumerprotection-india.php
5) http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol19-issue7.