In India, all citizen has some rights given by the constitution. So we all consumers have the need to understand our rights. We all have our basic needs and requirements and that’s why we all are called as the consumers. But to fulfill those needs we all invest our money. By investing our money to get the correct thing is also our right. We all face a lot of problems when we fought for our right. Nowadays the exploitation of consumer rights seems to be very common. In our everyday life, we see lots of fraud around us where a general consumer becomes the victim of it. But have you ever think about what should we do to protect our consumer rights in India? Where to go for the solution? These types of questions may arise once in every person mind. Every consumer should be aware of his rights and need to take the correct step.
What are Consumer Rights?
Consumer rights simply mean the right to have information about the quality, potency, purity, price, and standard of goods or services as a consumer. The consumer is to be protected against any unfair practices and frauds of any trade. It is very essential for the consumers to know these rights.
There are basically six consumer rights in India that every consumer should know about these:
-
Right to safety :
According to the Consumer Protection Act 1986, one of the most widely accepted basic consumer rights is the right to safety. The consumer right to safety is referred to as the ‘right to be protected against goods and services which cause some adverse effect on life and property’. It is applicable to specific areas like healthcare, food processing, Automobiles, Housing, Domestic Appliances, Travel etc. It is estimated that by the carelessness of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and the automobile industry every year thousands of citizens of India are killed or seriously injured.
-
Right to Information :
This means that it is the right of the consumer to have sufficient information to protect from false and misleading claims in advertising and labeling practices. This is particularly relevant to products like medications, healthcare devices and in many other fields. In other words, consumers should be able to understand that the products they buy are reasonably safe for their intended purpose.
-
Right to Choose or Choice :
This is ‘the right to be assured or choose, to have access to a variety of goods and services’. Since the Indian consumers come from a socialistic background, they can easily tolerate the monopolistic market. It is the right of consumer that they can choose the quality product or services of their own choice. It is interesting to know that even in micro markets, shopkeepers like fish vendors in some cities are known to discourage the consumers bargaining power.
-
Right to be Heard :
Under this right, the consumers of India can put forward their complaints and raise their voice against products or even companies. It ensures that consumers issues are taken into consideration as well as handled properly. Under this consumer right, it is to ensure that their voices are heard by the corporate world or by the organization where they are complaining.
-
Right to Redressal :
Under this consumer right, it is the right of the consumer to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or exploitation. The Consumer can approach courts like District Consumer Forum at the district level, State Consumer Redressal Forums, and National Consumer Redressal Forums for his rights. These consumer grievance redressal agencies address consumer cases between companies and consumers.
-
Right to Consumer Education :
It is the right of every Indian citizen to have education on matters regarding consumer protection and safety. The right makes sure that the consumers have proper knowledge and materials which are easily accessible and would enable them to make purchasing decisions which are better than before. Consumer education can be given by organizing social curriculums or events as well as by starting non- governmental and governmental consumer awareness campaigns.
If you feel companies are doing exploitation of your consumer rights then file consumer complaints online at Voxya consumer complaint forum to get quick solution of your consumer disputes and grievances.