Mike Reitz

Consumer Rights

SEC 345 45 Consumers In Our Society

Seton Hill University

Professor Stubbs

October 26, 2022

 During my education, I have been exposed to, studied, and even memorized the Bill of

Rights for multiple classes however, I have never been exposed to the eight consumer rights. The

Bill of Rights is the first of ten amendments that were made to the U.S. Constitution. They

include rights such as the freedom of religion, speech, press assembly and petition, the right to

keep and bear arms, no quartering of soldiers, freedom from unreasonable searches, the right to

due process, the right of an accused person, the right of trial by jury, the freedom from excessive

bail, and power reserved to the states. As previously mentioned, these rights are documented

amendments to the U.S Constitution whereas the eight consumer rights are not documented but

widely agreed upon. Also, the order of consumer rights varies. The eight consumer rights that

are generally agreed upon by consumer economists are, the right to choose, the right to

information, the right to safety, the right to voice, the right to redress or remedy, the right to

environmental health, the right to service, and the right to consumer education.

Looking closely at each of these rights it is clear that today most consumers take these

rights for granted. The right to choose means that consumers have the right to be assured access

to a variety of products at competitive prices. Today, consumers are used to shopping online

where they can compare prices in an instant. The second right, the right to information gives

consumers the right to be given accurate information to be able to make informed decisions.

Again, today’s consumers have a wealth of information at their fingertips via the internet.

Thirdly, the right to safety protects the consumer’s right to expect that their health, safety, and

financial well-being are being protected in the marketplace. The next right, the right to voice,

means that the interest of consumers will be given full and fair consideration in government

policymaking. This right is one that is taken for granted by consumers as they expect whatever

is being dictated by the government must be safe and the best choice for us, they are not using

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their voice to stand up for what they want. The fifth is the right to redress which means

consumers are provided a full and fair hearing in any case of dissatisfaction. In an effort to

compete with large companies like Amazon, most businesses are held to a high standard when

dealing with customer dissatisfaction. The right to environmental health is the sixth right, and it

means that consumers are protected from the ill effects of pollution. This right is protected by

agencies of the government such as the DEP. Seventh is the right to service by which consumers

may expect convenience, courtesy, and responsiveness to consumer needs. This right has

changed severely since the beginning of COVID. This can be experienced by anyone who goes

to a restaurant to eat, we as consumers are much more likely to accept slow or even “not great”

service when we are out because of labor and supply shortages. The final right is the right to

consumer education. This right provides the right to continued consumer education. Without

these rights, consumers cannot enjoy the benefit of other consumer rights. These rights are

living and evolving every day just as the consumer is changing their habits and expectations.

At first glance, the Bill of Rights and consumer rights do not have much in common.

However, upon further examination, you will see that there are some very important similarities

to the rights and how they came about. Most importantly both sets of rights were put into place

to protect the people of the United States. Also much like the Bill of Rights consumers have

responsibilities that come along with consumer rights. For example, it is the consumer’s

responsibility to carefully read product labels, use available information and expect and demand

good service. Whereas some of the responsibilities that go along with the Bill of Rights include

the responsibility to seek out trustworthy news sources and the responsibility to accept and deal

with the consequences of our choices. The most important aspect of any rights that are granted is

to remember that with more rights and freedoms comes more responsibility.