the consumer the right to complain to an authority about his/ her grievances and seek speedy redressal. Secondly, consumer can claim compensation for any loss or injury suffered on account of the negligence of the manufacturer. It applies to all goods and services unless otherwise expressly notified by the central government. The Act has made the consumer movement powerful, broad based, effective and people oriented.
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) has recently replaced the three decade old CPA . The new act proposed some measures and tightens the existing rules to further safeguard consumer rights. Introduction of a central regulator, strict penalties for misleading advertisements and guidelines for e-commerce and electronic service providers are some of the key highlights. Students can take detailed information on the revised CPA from the website.
Consumer rights are those rights, which are or should be provided legally to protect consumer interests. In other words, these are rights designed to ensure that all consumers obtain goods and services of reasonable quality, at fair prices. Let us briefly examine what the six rights under the Consumer Protection Act cover: Right to Safety: This refers to the right to be protected against hazardous effect that may be caused to the health/life of a consumer. This right specifies that the consumer has the right to be protected against products, production processes and services which are hazardous to health or life.
Fig. . : Consumer Protection Right to be Informed : This means the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods and services, so as to protect the consumers against unfair trade practices. Right to Choose : This implies that every buyer has the right to have access to products of varying quality and quantities, prices, size and design, at competitive prices, and to choose according to his needs and wants.
. Right to be heard: The right to be heard means that consumers’ interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. It also includes the right to be represented in various forums that are working to ensure consumer welfare.