Question

The local telephone company sells me a landline connection only if I purchase a handset from them as well. Which of the following rights does this practice violate under the Consumer Protection Act 1986?
Right to represent redressal
Right to information
Right to choose
Right to seek

Answer 1

Hint:
1. A consumer has the absolute right to buy any goods or services of his/ her choice from among the different choices that the market holds for us. No one can deny the consumer what s/he demands or wishes to have.
2. A consumer has four basic consumer rights – to be informed, to choose, to safety and to be heard.

Complete answer:
Consumers at all levels are protected by the Consumer Bill of Rights, the bill states that the consumer has the right to be informed, to choose, to safety, to be heard, to have problems corrected, to consumer education and the right to service.

Since, a consumer has every right to choose what s/he wants from the options available to them in the market the correct solution here would be option (c), i.e. right to choose.

Now, the options can be understood as –

Right to represent redressal – right to redressal is the right to represent oneself or be heard.

Right to information – the right empowers every citizen to seek any information from the government and the government is obliged to answer.

Right to choose – the right refers to the fact that the consumer can choose any goods and services s/he wants from the market.

Right to seek – the right refers to seek compensation due to damage caused by any kind of unfair trade practice or exploitation.

Therefore the answer is C

Note:
1. No seller can influence a consumer’s choice in an unfair manner. If any seller does so, it will be deemed as interference with the consumer’s right to choose.
2. The Consumer Bill of Rights refers to a group of consumer rights which was introduced by the U.S. President, John F. Kennedy in 1962. This right ensures safety of consumers against injuries caused by the products when the products are purchased.