Information Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

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Consumer Rights, Information, Responsibilities

Consumer responsibilities refer to the responsibility of having awareness of the quality and safety of goods and services while purchasing and the responsibility to collect information available about a product or service and to update oneself with changes or innovations taking place in the market. It means the responsibility to think as well as make choices independently and consider immediate needs and wants. It refers to responsibility to speak out, and to inform manufacturers and governments of needs and wants and the Responsibility to Complain or inform business along with other people about discontentment with a product or service in an honest way. There should be Responsibility of being an Ethical Consumer and be fair and not engage not in malpractices which make all consumers pay.

 Responsibilities

Every right has it’s corresponding responsibility. As one is free to exercise his rights, then it is also essential to be aware of their duties as well. Namely there are two types of duties:

1. Duties with regard to the enforcement of our own rights

2.  Duties in relation to other consumers.

The first category of responsibilities points out that for every right there’s consumer duty and responsibility to secure enforcement  of that right. The social and cultural responsibilities related to rights of other consumers are listed below:

1.  Duty to See that Products they Purchase are Safe

2.   Duty to Acquire Information

3.   Duty to Choose

4.   Duty to Speak and Participate

5.   Duty to Lodge a Complaint

6.   Duty to Acquire Consumer Education

What Role of a consumer as a member of society?

Consumers are not individuals isolated from the rest of society. They are part of the society. Hence, the actions of individuals do not affect them as individuals, but in many cases impinge on society as a whole.

Role 1: The consumer must become fully aware of his/her actions on others and society in general. This critical awareness must become the organizing principle of decision making and action.

The word “consumer” has a negative meaning and connotation. Consumers must become aware of this negative aspect. According to Wayne Ellwood, ” Consumers have been seen as de-personalized machines, one-dimensional human beings whose only purpose is to absorb the non-stop flow of trinkets spit out by the convener belt of modern industry.”

Role 2: The consumer has to change this negative perception to a positive one. Consumers must begin to be responsible and discriminating individuals in their choices and decisions.

In essence, the consumer movement is helping to do this. According to Wayne Elwood, “The birth of the modern consumer movement was based on the belief that people could rally together under a common banner. Not to share their alienation, but to heighten their shared collective identity. Consumers could reclaim the word “consumer”, wrench it from its narrow definition within the market system and fight to eventually turn “consumers” into ordinary people.”

Role 3: What this means is that consumers must become more human and humane in their decisions and actions. Also, they must join and contribute to the struggle and work of the consumer movement.

According to Anwar Fazal, “the act of buying is a vote for an economic and social model, for a particular way of producing goods. We are concerned with the quality of goods and the satisfaction we derive from them. But we cannot ignore the condition under which the products are made – the environmental impact and working conditions. We are linked to them and have a responsibility to them.

Role 4: The next important role of consumers is to ensure that our act of buying contributes towards a fair, just and equitable economic and social model that is life-centered and sustainable.

We are increasingly becoming aware that certain products are manufactured using cheap labor and under inhuman conditions. We must reject such products unless conditions are improved. We are becoming aware that chemical pesticides pollute the food chain and water sources. We must reject buying and consuming such products. As enlighten consumers we must send strong messages by not buying such products. Through critical awareness and responsible act of buying we can promote a fair, just, equitable and sustainable development.

Online Consumer Complaints Forum In India

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customer complaints, online consumer complaints India

Consumers are the largest economic group in the country’s economy and that is what we all know. Without a consumer, not even the entire economy but not even a single company can run. We have seen the situation in past and studied also that the entire economy runs on the concept of demand and supply. Now these days because of so much advertisement, so much publicity and because of the image of the brand ambassador, companies try to cheat the customers. If its an economical product, one can digest that but if its expensive, it hurts.

The basic problem is no one has the exact knowledge of how to resolve such issues. Infect our government has formulated six rights which one can appeal for in such situation. But nobody has the knowledge about these six rights. But many a times online consumer complaints India go unheard, therefore there is a strict need of implementing consumer protection rights. If these rights are not protected then the consumers have every liberty to file complaints against the organization or the person concerned.

How to handle customer complaints

The next time you receive a customer complaint, follow these tips to help transform it into a golden opportunity for your business.

1. Listen and understand

Always listen to the customer. They have complained for a reason and it is important to understand why they are complaining. Research has shown that customers care more about good customer service and quality than a fast response – Take the time to listen and understand what their problem is.

2. Apologize

Don’t be afraid to apologize for the mistake. Many customers are simply looking for an apology and acknowledgement of their complaint, yet so many businesses are hesitant to admit when they have made a mistake. But don’t just stop at the apology; follow through with a promise to resolve the complaint.

3. Find a solution

When your customer has a legitimate complaint, your customer service teams need to find a solution and fix it. Give your team the authority to handle the majority of customer complaints, to avoid passing your customer onto a series of people and managers. If the issue has been or can be repeated, make the necessary changes so you do not receive another complaint.

4. Follow up with the customer

Make sure that you follow up with your customer to make sure they are satisfied with the solution. This can be in the form of a follow up email or survey asking for feedback on how the complaint was handled. 68% of customers leave a company because they believe you don’t care about them.

Consumer Rights and Responsibilities in India

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Advocacy and Protection, Consumer, Consumer Education, Consumer Information, Consumer protection, Food, Health, Home, Responsibilities. in. India, Rights

Twenty-seven years ago, the Consumer Protection Act gave Indian consumers the right to repair, replacement or refund if products sold to them turned out to be defective. Yet, businesses do not recognize this right to date.

It is referred to as the Right to Safety and protection from aeren-powwow. The Right to be Informed and protected against deceitful, fraudulent or information that misleads and have an access to correct information as well as facts required to go for informed choices along with decisions. The Right to Choose and have easy access to different types of products and services offered at competitive and fair prices. The Right to be heard helps to express and represent interests of consumer in the making of political and economic decisions.

The Right to Redress and getting compensation for misrepresentation, unsatisfactory services or shoddy goods is important for consumers and the Right to Consumer Education helps the consumer to become informed and capable of functioning properly in the market. The Right to a Healthy Environment enhances the quality of life and give protection from environmental issues for present as well as future generations.

Consumer’s rights can be broadly defined into 8 parts:

• The right to satisfaction of basic needs  – To have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water 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 labeling.
• 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 misrepresentation, 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.

Consumer Responsibility

• While one likes to know about our rights and exercise them, hardly ever accord the same importance and urgency to our  Consumer rights and responsibilities are intertwined together and without sharing consumer responsibility, consumers will find it very difficult to enjoy their rights on a long-term basis.
• Consumers need to tread cautiously in the market place. While buying a product, ask yourself these questions:
• · Do you really need this product?
• For how long would you like to use it? Will it last as long as you would like it to?
•  What are the health fallout of that product? If it is a food product, does it give you any health benefits? Check the labeling of the product to see the nutritional chart of the product.
• Consumer can also empower himself by knowing the law. For e.g., ISI mark on bottled mineral water has been made mandatory by the government and now labeling of non-vegetarian ingredient in food products will also mandatory for the industry.
• Consumer rights and responsibility can play a very important role in not only checking the market but also in restricting unnecessary consumption. It is not the sole responsibility of the market or of the government to provide consumers with detailed information. A consumer, on his part, must make every effort to inform himself of the product or service. For example, if a consumer consumes a health product, he must make efforts to inform himself beforehand about its possible side effects, and must also exercise caution regarding his eating habits, diet and physical exercise, to take full advantage of the product.
• Consumer responsibility is based on ethics and rationale. There is no definitive set of consumer responsibilities and a consumer must exercise restraint in consumption to consume responsibly. For example, conservation of the environment cannot be forced upon consumers but a consumer must make a conscious effort to reduce consumption, choose environment-friendly alternatives and conserve energy.