CBSE Class 12 Business Studies, Consumer Protection

NOTES

Chapter 12: Notes on Consumer Protection

Consumer: is generally understood as a person who uses consumer goods or avails any service.

Consumer Protection: It means protecting consumer from the clutches of fraud producers or sellers.

Who Can File a Complaint?

  1. A consumer
  2. Any registered consumer association
  3. The Central Government or any State Government
  4. One or more consumers, on behalf of numerous consumers having the interest
  5. A legal heir or representative of a decreased consumer

Rights of Consumers

  1. Right to safety: This rights includes concern for consumer's long term interest as well as for their present requirement
  2. Right to Information: consumer has the right to get information about the quality, purity, standard & price of the goods or services so as to protect himself against the abusive & unfair practices.
  3. Right to choose: means to choose an assurance of availability, ability & access to variety of products & services at competitive price.
  4. Right to be heard: if a consumer is exploited then he has the right to be heard and be assured that his interest would receive due consideration.
  5. Right to seek redressal: The consumer has the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or any other exploitation.
  6. Right to consumer education: it is the right of the consumer to acquire knowledge & skills to be informed to customers.
  7. Right to basic needs: every citizen has the right to fulfill the basic needs to survive & have dignified living. The basic needs include food, clothing, health, etc.
  8. Right to healthy environment: the consumers have the right to be protected against environmental degradation.

Three Tier Judicial Machinery to Provide Protection to Consumers

  1. District forum
  2. State commission
  3. National commission

Consumer Responsibilities

  1. Consumer must exercise his right
  2. Consumer must be conscious
  3. Filling complaints for the redressal of genuine
  4. Consumer must be quality cautious grievances
  5. Do not be carried away by advertisement
  6. Insist on cash memo

Ways and Means of Consumer Protections

  1. Self-regulations by business
  2. Business association
  3. Consumer awareness
  4. Consumer organisation
  5. Government