Every year on December 24th, Americans commemorate National Consumer Rights Day. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 was signed into law by the president on this date. The Act’s stated goal is to protect customers from being taken advantage of in a variety of ways, including but not limited to poor quality products and services, as well as unfair business practices.
History Of National Consumer Rights Day
When the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 was passed into law in India, the rights of Indian consumers were given the attention and respect they deserved. The purpose of this measure was to protect consumers from being taken advantage of in any way, including the sale of faulty products, unethical business practises, fraudulent activity, and inadequate service provision.
Because of the changes that have taken place in India’s economy over the years, a substantial number of Indians now shop and travel in very different ways. This was the result of increased market rivalry, innovations, and the growing presence of e-commerce services, which enlarged the options that consumers had accessible to them.
Because of this, the tried-and-true routines of the customer have been upended, which resulted in the requirement that the Consumer Protection Act be changed and revamped. On August 6, 2019, the legislature of India unanimously approved an amended version of the Consumer Protection Bill, taking into consideration how dynamic and modern the market is.
On August 9, 2019, the President of India gave his consent to the bill, which is more often referred to as the CPA 2019 bill. After that, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution announced that the CPA 2019 will go into force on July 20, 2020.
The Right to Information Act, which made the governing processes of India visible to its citizens and carried broad ramifications for consumer rights, complements both the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 and the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, both of which came into effect in 2019. These rights include the right to be safe, the right to have access to information, the freedom to make a choice, and the right to be educated as a consumer.
Additionally, yearly themes are honored in conjunction with this occasion. The most recent topic that was discussed was “alternative consumer grievance/dispute redressal.”
The celebration of the rights of consumers has also spread to other parts of the world. The United Nations developed a set of general standards for the protection of consumers, drawing inspiration from former President John F. Kennedy. World Consumer Rights Day has been celebrated annually on March 15 since it was first established in 1983.
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Consumer Protection Act in India Guarantees Six Basic Rights To Consumers
- Right to choose the product
- Right to be protected from all kinds of hazardous goods
- Right to be informed about the performance and quality of all products
- Right to be heard in all decision-making processes related to consumer interests
- Right to seek redressal, whenever consumer rights have been infringed
- Right to complete consumer education
How To Celebrate National Consumer Rights Day
- Start a movement to make a difference
Look for activities in your region that aim to educate the public about consumer rights and lobby for changes in public policy. - Expose the lawbreakers
Too frequently, we fall for a company’s or an organization’s tricks and just go along with it. Share your experiences online so that other customers will know what to look out for and which firms to avoid. - Learn about your rights as a consumer around the world.
Though India’s Consumer Protection Act was crafted with the country’s economy in mind, you may learn more about how other countries are working to protect consumers by visiting the Consumers International website.
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Some Interesting Facts About National Consumer Rights Day
- Safeguarding against potentially dangerous items
It is the right of the consumer to be protected from deceptive marketing of any products or services that can be harmful to human life or property. One example of this would be the use of artificial colouring in food. - A complete familiarity with the product details
The consumer has the absolute right to be informed about any and all aspects of the goods that they are considering purchasing. The entire process, beginning to conclusion, should be completely open and accessible to everyone. - You have the ability to haggle and barter over the price.
The vast majority of customers are unaware of the fact that they have the ability to choose the maximum retail price (MRP) for themselves because the government does not intervene in this area. - There are programmes for the education of consumers.
The government of India has undertaken a number of initiatives to raise public awareness of the rights and protections of consumers. One of these initiatives, known as “Jago Grahak Jago,” is particularly noteworthy. - One of the rights of the customer is to have a healthy environment.
The right to seek protection against pollution as a means of improving one’s quality of life belongs to consumers.
“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts, it’s our Job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” -Jeff Bezos
Final Words
On National Consumer Rights Day, which takes place every year on December 24, India-wide events are held to honour and promote the rights of all consumers. When it comes to the buying and selling of things, the consumer holds the most power, and while the west has effectively established consumer rights, India is still working to emphasise its national consumer movement and stand in solidarity with it. It is imperative that customers are aware of, and make use of, both their legal rights and duties in the context of e-commerce, which is seeing ever-increasing levels of popularity.
