Consumer Education and Protection

Consumer: A consumer is the final buyer of goods and services for the satisfaction of personal needs and wants. Consumers may buy products of nature or market goods/services, and they are an important part of the socio-economic system.

Consumer rights: These are the legal rights provided to protect consumer interests. They ensure that consumers get goods and services of reasonable quality, at fair prices, and can protect themselves against unfair trade practices.

Consumer responsibilities: These are the duties a consumer should follow while buying goods or services. They include being informed, honest, reading labels, keeping receipts, and buying products with standardisation marks.

Consumer Protection Act: It is a landmark law made to protect consumers from fraudulent and unfair trade practices. It provides simple, speedy and inexpensive redressal for consumer grievances and allows compensation for loss or injury.

Consumer problems: These are the difficulties or grievances faced by consumers while buying goods or using services. They include poor quality goods, adulteration, high prices, misleading information, incorrect weights and measures, and poor services.

Three consumer rights are:
1. Right to Safety
2. Right to be Informed
3. Right to Choose

Three consumer responsibilities are:
1. Updating knowledge of laws and provisions
2. Reading labels and brochures before purchase
3. Keeping receipts and purchase documents

Five consumer problems are:
1. Substandard/poor quality goods
2. Adulteration
3. High prices
4. Incorrect weights and measures
5. Spurious/duplicate/imitation products

Three standardisation marks are:
1. ISI Mark
2. AGMARK
3. Hallmark