CONSUMER RIGHTS AND Responsibilities
Quick Facts About Your Rights As A Consumer
Do you know that as a consumer you have rights? Oh, yes you do! Consumer Rights seek to protect a buyer or user of a product or service against dishonest practices or maltreatment. Despite this, many consumers are unaware of their rights and are unlikely to report abuse, dissatisfaction about a product or service. Knowing these rights helps a consumer seek redress, where necessary.
5 IMPORTANT CONSUMER RIGHTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Right to be informed – A consumer needs to be given details about a product or service, and to be conveyed in a language comprehensible to an average literate person. Being informed, a consumer becomes capable of detecting false, deceptive advertisement, labeling, and is able to make informed choice.
- Right to choose – to be able to pick from a variety of products and services, offered at competitive prices with a pledge of fitting quality
- Right to safety – to get protected against product, manufacture processes and services that are unsafe to health or life.
- Right to fair be heard – consumers’ interest need to be considered in government regulations, legislation on consumer issues.
- Right to seek redress – a consumer must be able to get a fair settlement including compensation from the person’s complaint for misleading information, shoddy goods, or disappointing services.
CONSUMER RESPONSIBILITIES
A consumer has some rights (as stated above), so also are specific obligations to be done. These obligations are,
- Be conscious – It is a consumer’s duty to ask, source, and receive information on a product or service, and stay informed on market changes.
- Be alert – to be observant of quality and safety of products and services before making a purchase.
- Avoid being swayed – a consumer should be convinced of his needs and want before purchasing a product or service. By so doing, the consumer avoids being misled, or unduly influenced.
- Be involved – it is important that consumers make producers aware of their needs and the government, their desires and expectations. This ensures that consumer inputs and views are part of manufacturers decisions on product types, and government regulations too.
- Inform others – consumers have a responsibility to share their experience of a product or service. Such nuggets of information forms product reviews and analysis and provide a guide to other consumers too.
- Environment care – it is important a consumer applies a product the right way and disposes it the same way. A consumer has to ensure his use or disposal of a good or service does not affect other consumer, or the environment adversely.