Context:

March 15 is celebrated as World Consumer Rights Day throughout the world.

Explain: Consumer

• As per the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a person who buys any goods or avails of service is a consumer.
• The definition, however, does not include a person who buys a good for resale or a good or service for commercial purposes.

The consumers’ rights in India

• In India, consumer rights were protected under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, before the act was replaced by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. According to the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the definition of consumer rights is ‘the right to have information about different aspects of a good or service such as its quality, quantity, potency, purity, price, and standard.
• In the Consumer Protection Act 1986, the lawmakers had defined six basic consumer rights:
  • Right to safety: Consumers are protected against the marketing of goods and services that are hazardous to their life and property. It lays emphasis on the quality of goods and services.
  • Right to be informed: Consumers have the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, content, purity, regulatory standards, and prices of goods and no such information should be intentionally hidden from them.
  • Right to choose: Whenever possible, consumers should be given access to a variety of goods and services at different prices.
  • Right to be heard: Consumer’s interests should be heard and taken into account. They have the right to form organizations that will represent them in all related matters.
  • Right to seek redressal: Consumers have the right to seek redressal against unfair practices and exploitation.
  • Right to consumer education: Consumers have the right to acquire knowledge in order to become informed consumers.
• Additionally, the Consumer Protection Act 2019 had introduced five new consumer rights:
  • Right to file a complaint from anywhere
  • Right to seek compensation under product liability
  • Right to protect consumers as a class
  • Right to seek a hearing using video conferencing
  • Right to know why a complaint was rejected
• Other important Regulations protecting Consumers:
  • The Contract Act 1872
  • The Sale of Goods Act 1930
  • Competition Act, 2002
  • Bureau of Indian Standard Act 2016.