Consumer Rights and Responsibilities in India

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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.