Consumer Rights Class 10 Notes CBSE Economics Chapter 5 (Free PDF Download)

Introduction:

• Understand the significance of Consumer Rights as a crucial aspect of consumer protection.

• Gain insights into the importance of informed choices and responsible consumer behavior.

Definition of Consumer Rights:

• Consumer Rights refer to the set of privileges and protections granted to consumers by law to ensure fair treatment in the marketplace.

Consumer in the Marketplace: 

• The market is not always a fair playing field, and consumers, even in great numbers, are dispersed. This permits consumers to be exploited by producers who are few but large and powerful.

• Informal moneylenders are a good example of this. Farmer Swapna, for example, had borrowed money and agreed to sell the product to them at a considerably reduced price. She was also compelled to sell her land after she failed to repay the money on time. This demonstrates how market consumers can be addressed.

• Markets are inherently unjust since there are a few huge producers with a lot of power and a lot of tiny consumers who may or may not know each other. Large corporations find it easier to engage in unethical business practises and propagate false information through advertising and spending money.

• With vast monetary and social resources, they may fabricate a tale in their favour, regardless of fact. Companies, for example, promoted milk powder as the finest supplement for infants, even over mother's milk, and tobacco commercials, which are destructive to people's lives.

• Adulteration and other malpractices, such as erroneous weight measures, are other ways in which vendors might take advantage of customers.

Consumer Movement:

People were dissatisfied with the rampant production malpractices. There were no existing rules or regulations that penalised such behaviour among the public.

The consumer was responsible for making a thoughtful purchase, and they avoided buying from sellers/goods with whom they had a terrible experience. Consumer movements started because of widespread dissatisfaction with such practises.

The consumer movement as a "social force" in India arose from the need to safeguard and promote consumers' interests against unethical and unfair trade practises. As a result of all these efforts, the Indian government took a huge step forward in 1986. It is responsible for enforcing the Consumer Protection Act of1986, also known as COPRA.

Consumer International: 

The UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection were adopted by the United Nations in 1985. This was a mechanism for countries to enact consumer protection laws, as well as for consumer advocacy groups to pressure their governments to do so. This has formed the cornerstone for consumer activism on a global scale.

Importance of Consumer Rights:

• Consumer rights empower individuals, ensuring their safety and welfare in the marketplace.

• They provide a legal framework to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and exploitation.

• Consumer rights promote competition, quality and accountability among producers and service providers.

Key Consumer Rights:

a. Right to Safety -

• Consumers have the right to be protected against hazardous goods and services.

• Manufacturers are responsible for providing safe products and adequate warnings about potential risks.

b. Right to Information -

• Consumers have the right to access accurate and transparent information about products and services, including their price, quality, composition, and expiry date.

• Companies should provide complete and truthful information to enable consumers to make informed choices.

c. Right to Choose -

• Consumers have the freedom to select from a range of products and services at competitive prices.

• Anti-competitive practices like unfair trade restrictions and monopolies are prohibited.

d. Right to Representation -

• Consumers have the right to express their interests and concerns through consumer organizations.

• These organizations advocate for consumer rights, ensuring their voices are heard in policymaking.

e. Right to Redressal -

• Consumers have the right to seek compensation and prompt resolution of grievances against unfair trade practices or deficient services.

• Consumer courts provide a legal platform for consumers to file complaints and seek redressal.

Consumer Responsibilities:

• Along with rights, consumers also have certain responsibilities towards themselves and society.

• Responsible consumer behavior includes conducting market research, reading product labels, and reporting fraudulent practices.

Justice for Consumer:

• Under the COPRA, consumer tribunals were established to offer justice to consumers whose rights had been abused.

• Consumer courts are three-tier quasi-judicial entities.

1. The District Forum is a district-level court that hears matters involving claims of up to Rs. 20 lakh.

2. The State Commission is a state-level court that hears disputes involving claims of between Rs. 20 lakh and Rs. 1 crore.

3. The National Commission is a national level court that hears cases involving claims above Rs. 1 crore.

How to Stay Informed: 

• We will be able to discriminate and make informed choices as customers once we are aware of our rights when purchasing various goods and services.

• The enactment of COPRA resulted in the creation of distinct Consumer Affairs departments in both the federal and state governments. The ISI, Agmark, or Hallmark logo provides consumers with the confidence of quality when purchasing goods and services.

Advancing the Consumer Movement: 

India is one of the few countries with dedicated consumer redress courts. In India, the 24th of December is celebrated as National Consumers' Day. Consumer awareness is steadily increasing in our country after more than 25 years since the introduction of COPRA. We need individuals to put up a voluntary effort and actively participate in the consumer movement for it to move forward quickly.

Important Questions and Answers

1. Why do consumers need rights and systems to protect themselves in the market?

Ans: Consumers require rights and systems because of the following :

1. Consumers require regulations and enforcement agencies to safeguard them from manufacturers' mistreatment. Consumer rights give customers complete freedom and protect them from being exploited by vendors.

2. There are consumers who buy things and producers who make and sell those goods in the marketplace.

3. Consumers are exploited by producers because they have money and power. There have been occasions where producers have used deceptive tactics to obtain an unfair advantage over purchasers.

2. Provide a few examples where consumers can be exploited and mention which rights protect them.

Ans: Given below are the two examples :

1. Filing for a job can be a time-consuming process. After submitting all our credentials and taking an entrance exam, we impatiently await the results. Some government agencies, on the other hand, take an eternity to release the results. In such circumstances of authority carelessness, the applicant has the right to know about the status of the employment. They can make a request to the relevant government department under the RTI Act.

2. When you get a new gas connection, gas supply dealers frequently urge that you buy a stove from them. This is an example of a breach of the consumer's right to choose. Since the right to choose is denied, the consumer can submit a claim in consumer court for compensation by claiming the right to redress.

3. Outline the evolution of consumer movements in India.

Ans: There are numerous elements that have contributed to the emergence of India's consumer movement. 

• It began as a "social force" to safeguard and promote consumer interests in the face of unfair and unethical trading practices. 

• Extreme food scarcity, black marketing, hoarding and food adulteration drove the consumer movement to organise in the 1960s. Consumer organisations spent most of their time writing articles and staging exhibitions until the 1970s.

• Recently, there has been an increase in the number of consumer groups concerned about ration shop abuses and overcrowding of public transportation vehicles. 

• The Consumer Protection Act, often known as COPRA, was adopted by the Indian government in 1986. This was a significant stride forward in India's consumer movement.

4. Explain Agmark and its importance for goods.

Ans:  Some consumer products require a particular certification to ensure their safety in accordance with the regulatory body's stated requirements. Agriculture Mark, or AGMARK, is a certification mark used in India to ensure the quality of agricultural products. AGMARK is a third-party assurance system for agricultural products produced and consumed in India. The primary objective is to give customers high-quality, unadulterated goods. The classification can be used for both domestic and international reasons. Food goods can be detrimental to people's health and life if they are consumed, hence this is an important tag to have on them. Consumers must be well-informed when deciding whether to seek out the Agmark certification logo.

5. A consumer purchased a branded product worth Rs.30,000. Upon using it for a few days, it exploded and burned the hand of the consumer. Explain what this consumer should do according to the COPRA?

Ans: Following are the steps that need to be followed according to the COPRA:

1. The consumer is required to have all documentation relating to the product's purchase because the injury caused here is life-threatening.

2. They might seek help from a Consumer Protection Council in their area to file a complaint against the manufacturer of their goods.

3. Then they must file a lawsuit in district court seeking compensation from the producer for harm caused by the product.

4. They can analyse the amount of compensation they can claim with the help of lawyers and the Consumer Forum. Nevertheless, depending on the severity of the hand injury, the compensation claim must be presented in court, which will ultimately decide the case.

6. How is consumer awareness spread in India?

Ans: The practise of making consumers aware of their rights as consumers is known as consumer awareness. It gives them the ability to demand product details and take legal action if they are misused. Consumer awareness can be spread in three different ways.

1. Individual consumers: They can enlighten their friends and family about their rights as customers and raise consumer awareness.

2. Consumer Groups: These are groups of people who band together to monitor and combat exploitation. To raise consumer awareness, they write articles, arrange exhibitions, and so forth.

3. Consumer Affairs department in both the state and central government: This department uses mass media, like television and newspapers, to disseminate information on consumer rights and legal remedies.

Project on Consumer Rights on Class 10 CBSE: Exploitative Factors

Factors that cause the exploitation of consumers are: 

1. Limited Information: As a reason for being a capitalist country seller can produce any service or goods of his or her choice. And as a result of having less information about the particular product, a consumer can make the wrong choice and a result loses money.

2. Limited Supplies: Consumer exploitation also happens when a particular good is less in quantity and the seller can take any amount of money from the one who buys it. 

3. Illiteracy: Illiteracy is one of the most important reasons for the exploitation of consumers. It directly affects the consumers as they are exploited for not having enough knowledge about the product. 

4. Limited Competition: when a single producer is allowed to have control over a product then it does not allow the product to reach to other sellers and hence manipulation of price occurs. 

Consumer Movement Growth in India

Like all other countries, India too has its consumer movement group. It was originated to protect and promote consumers' interest against unethical, unfair, and fraudulent practices. At first, it brought a common outlook that characterized manufactures and traders as the people wanting to maximise profits using fair means with scant regard towards the consumer. The consumer movement act in India is popularly known as the Consumer Protection Act 1986, also called COPRA.

Did You Know?

• National Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on December 24 in all over the country as the Consumer Protection Act 1986 that was enacted on this day in the year 1986.

• March 15 is celebrated as “World Consumer Right Day”. This is an annual day for solidarity and celebration in the form of an international movement.

• The information given on the pack of goods is ingredients used, price, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date and address of the manufacturer. Every individual should have a look at all of this information before buying a good.