Consumer Rights
Becoming a well-informed consumer
Use certification marks to judge quality.
Know your rights. When we know our rights as consumers, we can tell good offers from bad ones and make informed choices. That needs knowledge and skill. The Consumer Protection Act gives every consumer six rights: safety, information, choice, redressal, representation and consumer education.
Government spreads awareness. After COPRA, separate Departments of Consumer Affairs were set up in the central and state governments. Their posters (like those in the chapter) and television advertisements tell people about their rights and the legal steps they can take.
Quality marks: ISI, Agmark, Hallmark, +F. When you buy something, look for these logos. They assure you of quality. The organisations that issue them let producers use their logo only if they follow certain quality standards.
- Agmark: farm products such as edible oil and cereals.
- Hallmark: jewellery.
- ISI: many industrial and household goods.
- +F: fortified food, with key nutrients added to staple foods.
The Bureau of Indian Standards develops standards for goods and services.
Voluntary for most, compulsory for some. These organisations set standards for many products, but most producers do not have to follow them. That is why many goods are sold without ISI or Agmark. But for products that affect health and safety, or are used by very many people, certification is compulsory. Examples: LPG cylinders, food colours and additives, cement, and packaged drinking water.
Which right is it? Test yourself with the book's cases:
- Lata gets an electric shock from a new iron: safety.
- Iqbal always reads every detail on the pack: information.
- You cannot switch from a poor cable operator because there is no other: choice.
- John files a case against his phone company in the District Commission: redressal.
Practise this lesson
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