Introduction

In the current trend of Marketing, the consumer is a lifeblood of all its functioning. The
market gets shrewd and sometimes the consumer has to suffer the brunt of it. Therefore,
consumer protection is an act of providing consumers with complete information about the
goods, services and their rights.

Consumer awareness is very important as they invest their time and money in marketing
activities and they have a right to transparent information.

Misleading advertisement, unsafe products, overcharging and unweighing and other

malpractices are performed by unscrupulous businessmen. Consumer awareness is an act of
saving consumers from such delinquencies.

Need for Customer Protection-

The consumer is the most important factor in business. No business can survive without
consumers as their satisfaction is the main purpose of any business operations.

Business is not just about monetary benefits but also to upgrade the society to a better version
by keeping its welfare as an objective.

The Constitution has provided us with the Consumer Protection act 1986, to protect the
consumers from any marketing malpractices.

Consumer protection rights promote a healthy competitive market which supports economic
growth. It keeps away malicious trade practices and unscrupulous business owners from
damaging the fair trade.

Consumers are an integral part of a market structure. It is very important to protect their
rights in order to have a fair market structure.

Consumer Rights

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1986 to shield the
interests of customers in India. As per our economy, the right amount of demand and steady
and responsible supply can assist in the growth of the economy. Hence, in order to protect the
buyers from any sort of exploitation, this act was introduced.

Let’s move on to how many types of consumer rights are there-

Right to Safety

This is a basic right to be protected against the marketing of such goods and services which
are hazardous to life and property. Consumption of goods or services which are not up to the
mark can have adverse effects on the consumer’s health and safety. In order to protect the
consumer’s interest, they have a right to receive high quality and reliable goods. For instance-
Household goods like LPG cylinders if not sealed properly can cause immense damage to life
and property, Stale food items can cause harm to buyers health, Low-quality cosmetics can
cause similar harms.
Right to Information-

The consumer has a right to receive information about the quality, quantity, potency, standard
and price of the goods or services. The consumer should rightfully ask on getting all the
information about the product or service before making a choice or a decision. This will
enable him to take well informed and thought decision and also preventing himself from
falling prey to high-pressure selling techniques. The right to information is used to shield
consumers from deceptive advertising, misleading labels and packaging, high prices, etc.

Right to Choose-

This right provides access to all the variety of goods and services and competitive prices. In
monopolistic competition, the goods and services should be of the best quality and price.

The seller should not use aggressive techniques to see the products and consumers should
have the right to all the variety of alternatives. This right requires free competition in the
market. The consumer should have a free choice in choosing any product from the market.

Right to be Heard-

The above three rights are useless if there is no proper authority to listen to customer
grievances. If a buyer is dissatisfied with the product or service, then one has the right to file
a complaint against it and it has to be addressed within a set time-frame. For instance, if a
consumer buys an electronic Item and it starts malfunctioning, a consumer has all rights to
take appropriate action by returning or replacing it.

Right to Seek Redressal-

This right gives authority to the consumers to settle any claims and complaints against sellers
for their unfair trade practices and exploitation. The buyer has a right to redress if the quality
of the product is compromised. Consumers need to file a complaint under the consumer
protection act.

Right to Customer Education-

A consumer must be aware of his rights and responsibilities provided by the authorities
regarding marketing practices. This is a very important right as this lays down the foundation
for fair trade practices as a consumer is aware of his rights. The consumer has all the
authority to gain knowledge about his rights as a buyer.

Who is a Responsible Consumer?

The responsible consumer is one who is aware of all his rights and responsibilities during a
trade practice.

A consumer who checks all the required labels of the products, while purchasing, in order to
know the authenticity and quality of the product.

The responsibility to be assertive – Which ensures that you get a fair deal as a consumer.
A customer should check for the standard marks which ensure the authenticity as well as the
quality of the product like the ISI mark or Hallmark etc.

Consumer Awareness In India

Consumer awareness campaign- Jago Grahak Jago is a well-established campaign which has
shielded consumers against marketing malpractices and has successfully redressed the
consumer complaints