Consumer by definition means **“A person who uses goods or
services and pays for it”**. This means we all are consumers. We consume
goods one or the other time! it was a fact that we were ignorant and we were
often cheated by the sellers. But this generally accepted fact is now changing,
we –the consumers are becoming conscious everyday. Thanks to our* *media-
print as well as electronic media, net and other sources of consumer
consciousness. Govt. of India has made “Consumer Protection Act 1986” for our
safety. This act ensures better safety of consumers and speedy and effective redressal
to consumer disputes.
Any of
us be it an individual or a company who has actually suffered can file complain
! well it’s always said that “precaution is better than cure”. By taking
reasonable care we can protect ourselves from loss. Like fundamental rights, we
also have some consumer rights;- **1**.Right to safety
*2. ****Right to information
3.Right to choice
4.Right to be heard
5.Right to redress
- Right to consumer education*
Well these
rights are quite self explanatory. Knowledge of these rights can help us
protect ourselves from getting the burnts of severe loses. All we need to do
is “ Be **REALLY** **CONSCIOUS**”. simple tips that one follow are;-
- *Be date conscious **– this means check the manufacturing
date, expiry date and date of purchase. We often buy medicines, FMCG – fast moving
consumer goods. These goods are manufactured as par certain standard, dates
signify their freshness status.
- *Be quality conscious **– by quality I don’t recommend that
you should you very highly priced goods of foreign companies. Buy goods of recognized
brands. For example there are three major brands of toothpaste in India,
viz. Colgate, Pepsodent and Close Up. All of these compete with each other.they all maintain quality standard. Check if the product is recommended
by certain standard setters like ISI mark, IDA, ISO 9001, ISO 14001etc.
3.**Be ingredient conscious **– if you’re a pure vegetarian, you
must check the green symbol l(green circle in a green square). Now this is
compulsory under consumer protection act. If a product contains elements of
non-veg, the same symbol is in red colour. If you’re allergic to certain
ingredient like menthol, vitamin c, certain other eatable acids etc then you
got to be more conscious.
4.**Don’t buy loose **– sometimes the shop keeper tries to
sell goods which aren’t packed like sugar, pluses, cheese cubes even bread in
certain areas. Avoid it completely. That’s not trusted and even the owner of
the brand refuses to take any responsibility if the product causes harm to the
ultimate consumer.
5.**Remember to take and save bills**- oh! no court on earth will take
your case into consideration if you haven’t got the bill.
6.**Don’t get carried away **– this suggestion is especially for
the young consumers who’re willing to try all the creams, soaps, cosmetics etc
on their body. I know the ads make these products irresistible and very
promising. But actually they are not. Actors and actresses as Brand ambassadors,
appealing promises, packaging, background etc fire up our emotions towards the
product and we end up buying them. Even the shopkeeper tries to peruse, ***remember
buy only what you need***!
*7.****Approach the authority for redressal-
*if you think you’ve genuinely
suffered certain loss or injury due to unfair trade practice or defective goods
and deficiency in service, immediately file a case! After all you’ve paid for
the product and it’s just you who can fight for your case! now we’ve so many
means to file a case for consumer protection – online filing, visiting the
cells especially maintained for consumers and these days even electronic media
has come to forefront to help fight our cases.
Well at the end I’ll say It is not the sole
responsibility of the market or of the government to provide consumers with
detailed information or fight for their right. Ya they can stand up for our
rights but ultimately, it’s just we who have to stand up and protect
ourselves.
Consume well, be conscious and lastly I wish
you Happy shopping!
