Right To Safety
Right To Safety
Means right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services, which are hazardous to life
and property. The purchased goods and services availed of should not only meet their immediate
needs, but also fulfil long term interests.
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 be Informed
Means 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
choice or a decision. This will enable him to act wisely and responsibly and also enable him to desist
from falling prey to high pressure selling techniques.
Right to Choose
Means right to be assured, wherever possible of access to variety of goods and services at
competitive price. In case of monopolies, it means right to be assured of satisfactory quality and
service at a fair price. It also includes right to basic goods and services. This is because unrestricted
right of the minority to choose can mean a denial for the majority of its fair share. This right can be
better exercised in a competitive market where a variety of goods are available at competitive prices
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 Seek redressal
Means right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of
consumers. 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 organisations in seeking redressal of their grievances.
Right to Consumer Education
Means 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. Only then real consumer
protection can be achieved with success.
Rights of Consumers
A consumer is an important participant in the market. In case of
consumer exploitation, the rights of the consumer must be protected.
There are six consumer rights as mentioned in the regulatory Consumer
Protection Act of 1986. The concept of consumer protection and the
meaning of the rights is explained in simple terms in this lesson.
Who is a Consumer?
A person who buys a good or service for his own personal use and not
for further manufacture is called a consumer. Consumers play an
important role in the market. The market for a good or service
constitutes all the consumers and producers of that good or service. If
there is no consumer, producers will have no one to provide the good.
Consumer Rights
There are six broad consumer rights defined as per the Consumer
Protection Act, 1986. These are:
Right to Safety
Right to Information
This right mentions the need for consumers to be informed about the
quality and quantity of goods being sold. They must be informed about
the price of the product and have access to other information specific to
the product that they wish to consume.
Right to Choose
The consumer must have the right to choose between different products
at competitive prices. Thus, the concept of a competitive market where
many sellers sell similar products must be established to ensure that the
consumer can actually choose what to consume and in what quantity.
This is to avoid monopoly in the market.
Right to be Heard
The purpose of this right is to ensure that the consumer gets due
recognition in consumer courts or redressal forums. Basically, when a
consumer feels exploited, he has the right to approach a consumer court
to voice his complaint. This right gives him/her due respect that his/her
complaint will be duly heard. The right empowers consumers to
fearlessly voice their concerns and seek justice in case they are
exploited.
Right to Consumer Education
Chapter-24.pdf
The industrial revolution and the development in the international trade and commerce has led
to the vast expansion of business and trade, as a result of which a variety of consumer goods
have appeared in the market to cater to the needs of the consumers and a host of services have
been made available to the consumers like insurance, transport, electricity, housing,
entertainment, finance and banking. A well organised sector of manufacturers and traders with
better knowledge of markets has come into existence, thereby affecting the relationship
between the traders and the consumers making the principle of consumer sovereignty almost
inapplicable. The advertisements of goods and services in television, newspapers and
magazines influence the demand for the same by the consumers though there may be
manufacturing defects or imperfections or short comings in the quality, quantity and the purity of
the goods or there may be deficiency in the services rendered. In addition, the production of the
same item by many firms has led the consumers, who have little time to make a selection, to
think before they can purchase the best. For the welfare of the public, the glut of adulterated
and sub-standard articles in the market have to be checked. In spite of various provisions
providing protection to the consumer and providing for stringent action against adulterated and
sub-standard articles in the different enactments like Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, the Indian
Contract Act, 1872, the Sale of Goods Act, 1930, the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Standards of
Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, very little could be
achieved in the field of Consumer Protection. Though the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade
Practices Act, 1969 arid the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 have provided relief to
the consumers yet it became necessary to protect the consumers from the exploitation and to
save them from adulterated and sub-standard goods and services and to safe guard the
interests of the consumers. In order to provide for better protection of the interests of the
consumer the Consumer Protection Bill, 1986 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on
5th December, 1986.