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Consumer Awareness
What does Consumer Awareness mean?
To satisfy unlimited wants people purchase goods and services at a given price. But what to
do in the case if the goods and services bought are found to be in bad quality or overcharged
or measured less in quantity etc. In such situations. the consumers, instead of getting
satisfaction, often feel cheated by the sellers who have sold the goods and services. Here,
consumer awareness plays a significant role.
Consumer awareness is nothing but an act of making sure the buyer or consumers are aware
of the information about products, goods, services, and consumer's rights. Consumer
awareness is important so that buyers can make the right decision and make the right choice
at the right time. In this article, we will discuss consumer awareness, and consumer rights in
detail
Why There is a Need for Consumer Awareness?
The need for educating consumers about product quality and product price is significant and
should not be ignored. The advancement of technology and emergence of sophisticated
gadgets in the market and aggressive marketing strategies in the era of globalization has not
only given a wide choice to consumers but also do not defend them with a plenitude of
problems associated with such rapid changes
There is an urgent and increasing necessity to educate and motivate the consumer to be
attentive about the product's quality, and also the possible deficiencies in the services of the
growing sector of public utilities.Vedaniti,
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In short, the consumer should be educated with respect to his rights as a consumer. He
should be educated enough so that he is able to protect himself from any wrongful act on the
part of the trader. In order to help consumers to be in such a state, there is a need to provide
reliable and exhaustive information, which they can access without much effort and expense.
Considering these issues, the Government of India and the State Government have made an
effort to introduce a dispute redressal mechanism by means of the Consumer Protection Act.
Apart from this, a lot more has to be done in the area of creating awareness. A suitable
remedy should be suggested wherever there is a need. This becomes more significant in the
rural areas, where there is widespread illiteracy.
Let us now discuss six different types of consumer rights which help consumers to protect
themselves from any scams or fraud.
Six ConsumerRights Everyone should be awareof
Right to Safety
Right to safety is a basic right that helps consumers 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 buyer's
health, Low-quality cosmetics can cause similar harms.
Right to Be Informed
The consumer has a right to receive information about the quality, quantity, potency, standard,
and price of the goods or services. This will not merely help him to make well- informed and
thought decisions but also prevent 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 ChooseVedaniti,
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This right permits consumers to choose among a wide variety of goods and services without
being forced to do so. In case of monopolies, the right to be assured of satisfactory goods
and services at fair and reasonably priced. It also includes the right to basic goods and
services. The right to choose can be better employed in a competitive market where a wide
range of goods and services are available at a competitive price
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 in a consumer court 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 states that If a consumer is not satisfied with a particular purchase, he has the right
to get the product replaced, or even he can demand a refund for the product. The consumer
may even ask for compensation in case a product or service causes severe harm to them.
Right to CustomerEducation
‘A consumer must be aware of his rights and responsibilities provided by the authorities
regarding marketing practices. The consumer has all the authority to gain knowledge about his
rights as a buyer. Lack of Consumer awareness is the most important issue our government
should pay heed to resolve.
Whatis the Responsibilityof a Consumer?
The consumer has a certain responsibility to perform as an aware consumer can bring
changes in the society and would help other consumers to fight against the unfair practices or
be aware of it. Following are the important responsibilities of a consumer which they should
carry out.eam UNE Online
“They should know their rights under the consumer protection act and should practice
the same in case of need
“They should have sufficient knowledge about the product they are buying. They should
act as a cautious customer while purchasing any product.
“A consumer can file a complaint if a product is found to be false or not satisfactory.
*The consumer can demand a cash memo while making a purchase
*The consumer should verify the standard mark that has been introduced for the
reliability of the quality of the product like ISI or Hallmark, etc.
Consumer Awarenessin India
Consumer awareness campaign- Jago Grahak Jago is the most important and successful
campaign which has shielded consumers against marketing malpractices and has
successfully redressed consumer complaints. The campaign Jago Grahak Jago was started in
2005 by the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer and Public
Distributions by the Government of India
The Slogan * Jago Grahak Jago” means wake up consumers has now become very popular in
almost every household. The Government of India used several different channels to create
awareness among consumers. Following is the list of the channels used by the Government to
meet the objectives of the "Jago Grahak Jago” awareness program
*Media Advertisements
*Video Campaign
“Posters
* Printing
* Audio Campaigns
ConclusionVedaniti,
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At last, it is concluded that consumer awareness means being aware of having the knowledge
about the several consumer production laws, rectified techniques, and consumer rights which
include the right to protection of health and safety from goods and services that consumers
purchase, right to be informed about the price, quality, quantity, potency, and standard of
goods.
Last updated date: O8th Jun 2023 + Totalviews: 318.6k * Views today. 4.18k
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