Consumer

AwAreness

Tista Hijli
XB
Roll No. 34
 Acknowledgement
I am immensely grateful to all those who helped me
complete this project successfully.
First of all, I’d like to thank God for blessing me
with all I have, all I need, and all I want.
I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to our
Social Science teacher, Ms. Nidhi Nigam for her
tremendous support and guidance in the completion
of my project.
I would also like to thank our Principal, Ms. Hardeep
Kaur, our school Cambridge School Indirapuram and
CBSE, for providing me with this wonderful
opportunity to work on this project.
The completion of the project would not have been
possible without the help and insights of all of you.

Tista Hijli
S. Content Pg. No.
No.
1. Acknowledgement 2
2. Table of Contents 3
3. Who is a Consumer 4
4. Consumer Exploitation 5
5. Consumer Awareness 7
6. Consumer Rights
7. Consumer Duties
8. Consumer Awareness in India-
Case Studies
9. Consumer Protection Act
10. Grievance Redressal Methods
11. Jago Grahak Jago
12. Bibliography
 Who is a Consumer?
Buys good or Cannot resale the
service for personal goods and
use services

Who is a consumer?
A consumer is a
person who...

Uses the goods and Consumes or uses

services with the goods and
approval of owner services himself

For example, if Akanksha buys a toothpaste for her own use,

she is the consumer. If she hires a tutor for her son Naman, he
is the consumer. If she books a cab on Uber for her friend
Vedika, Vedika is the consumer.
  Consumer Exploitation
~ Wrong measurements
Sellers often measure out goods wrongly, generally a lower
quantity and charge more for it.

~ Substandard quality and Adulteration

Sometimes the quality of the product sold is very low, and below
standard. Moreover, it is often noticed that substances are
adulterated, risking the health of consumer

~ High Prices
High prices especially of essential products are very distressing
for all consumers and will lead to destabilising of consumer
economy.
~ Artificial Scarcity and Black Marketing
Sellers often hold back product sale causing artificial scarcity
and then sell these products in black market to desperate
customers.

~ Duplication
Popular services and goods are often duplicated to increase the
market value of duplicated products. This deceives consumers
greatly.

~ False and Incomplete Information

Certain vendors and brands advertise products using false claims
which are believed by the consumer who is ultimately duped.
Sometimes the information may also be incomplete.
 Consumer Awareness
What?
Consumer awareness is a way to show that the buyer is aware
of the details and information regarding goods, services,
administrations, and buyer rights in order to make the finest
choice and the optimal decision.
Why?
Consumer awareness is necessary because, in a globalised
world offering a multitude of products and services, sellers and
vendors often try to cheat consumers. To safeguard themselves
against them, as well as improve the service and products
optimally, consumers must know their rights.
How?
Consumers must know all details about the product they are
buying. They should be aware of their legal rights as
consumers. They should be conscious about the social and
environmental impact of their purchases and also must have
knowledge about grievance redressal methods.
 Consumer Rights

▪ Right to be Informed
All consumers have a right to know the
details of each product or service they
buy. Whether, it is directions for washing
for clothes, or expiry dates for food
products, these details are very important
as customers can ask for compensation or
replacement on the basis of this
information.
▪ Right to Safety
Consumers have the right to be
protected against the marketing
of goods and delivery f services
that are hazardous to life and
property. Producers need to
strictly follow the required
safety rules and regulations.
▪ Right to Choose
Any consumer who receives a
service in whatever capacity,
regardless of age, gender and nature
of service, has the right to choose
whether to continue to receive that
service or not.
▪ Right to Seek Redressal
Consumers have the right to seek
redressal against unfair trade practices
and exploitation. If any damage is done
to a consumer, she has the right to get
compensation depending on the degree of
damage. From clothes to kitchen
appliances to even flight and train tickets,
consumers must have the options to
repair, replacement and getting a refund.

▪ Right to Represent
Consumers have the right to
file cases and be heard in
consumer courts if any
dispute between them and the
vendor is unresolved. Even
the consumer courts follow
an appellate system.
 Consumer Duties and
Responsibilities
1. Duty to be Aware: The consumer should be proactively
aware of the quality and information of the products and
services he is availing of. For example, he should check the
quality standard of Agmark, ISI and Hallmark as well as the
tags.

2. Duty to Follow the Rules: The consumer should not

infringe any rules in order to get the benefit of the service or
while purchasing any product.

3. Duty to Receive a Receipt: The consumer should make

sure that he receives the receipt when making any purchase
from the market. The receipt can be used in his favour at a
later stage if any inconvenience takes place.

4. Duty to Be Vocal: The consumer must give voice to any

exploitive measures happening to them by the sellers and
make the issue noticeable to the public.

5. Duty to Be Ethical: The consumer should act ethically and

in a fair manner and should not indulge in any malpractices.

6. Duty to Consume Resources Sustainably: Resources

should be utilised by consumers in such a manner that it
does not cause inconvenience to the upcoming future
generations and does not degrade the environment.
 Consumer Awareness in India- Case
Studies
A. Fraudulent Information about Expiry Date
A Bengaluru man fell ill, after he consumed Honey Oats from
a renowned supermarket. The man, on inspecting the product
box realised that the supermarket had fraudulently concealed
the original expiry date with a new label that increased it to a
later date.
On receiving an unsatisfactory response from the store staff,
the case went to Bengaluru Additional District Consumer
Disputes Redressal Commission which directed the
supermarket to pay damages to the man, which included a full
refund of the product, the health costs, the legal expenses of
the man totalling Rs. 10, 925.
Analysis:
The consumer was exploited due to: false and incomplete
information, substandard quality
The consumer rights compromised were: Right to Safety and
Right to be Informed
The consumer duties exercised were: Duty to be aware, Duty
to receive a receipt, Duty to be vocal
 B. Refusal of Refund on Order Cancellation
On May 19, 2022, Chandra Shekhar Ethiraj approached Elite
Elevators to install and elevator, making an advance payment of
Rs. 5 lakhs through a cheque. Much to Ethiraj's shock, the seller
inflated the initial quotation and encashed the cheque. Ethiraj
decided to cancel the order in view of the dissatisfying
equipment demonstration and the increased price. But when he
demanded a refund, the seller started playing truant.
Ethiraj approached the Shantinagar consumer court to redeem his
refund.
The court ruled that a consumer has the right to choose and
therefore the elevator firm must provide the customer a refund of
Rs. 5 lakhs, with interest and an additional amount of Rs. 5000
for litigation expenses.
Analysis:
The consumer was exploited due to: high prices, substandard
quality and incomplete information
The consumer rights compromised were: Right to Choose and
Right to be Informed
The consumer duties exercised were: Duty to be Aware, Duty to
be Vocal
 Consumer Protection Act (2019)
The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 was amended and
passed again in 2019. It was enacted by the Indian legislature
to deal with matters relating to violation of consumer’s rights,
unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements, and all those
circumstances which are prejudicial to the consumer’s rights.

• Objectives:
✓ Protect against the marketing of products that are
hazardous to life and property.
✓ Inform about the quality, potency, quantity, standard,
purity, and price of goods.
✓ Establish Consumer Protection Councils.
✓ Seek redressal against unfair trade practices or
unscrupulous exploitation of consumers.
✓ Lay down the penalties for offences committed under
the Act.
✓ Provide consumer education.
✓ Provide speedy and effective disposal of consumer
complaints through alternate dispute resolution
mechanisms.
  Methods of Grievance Redressal

e
covers the receipt and
anc processing of complaints

l
from citizens and consumers

ssa
iev
management- and
governance-related process
dre
used commonly in India.
Gr

includes actions taken on any

Re

issue raised by them to avail

services more effectively.
  Jago Grahak Jago

Jago Grahak Jago is a consumer awareness program launched in

2005 by the Department of Consumer Affairs under the
government of India. Under this scheme, various channels were
created to spread awareness about consumer rights and to put an
end to malpractices by merchants.
Consumers can complain about a good or service through
various modes like:
✓ National consumer helpline
✓ Lodging a complaint online
✓ Approaching the National/District consumer forum
 Bibliography

• NCERT Understanding Economic Development X

• Adda247
• Jago Grahak Jago
• [Link]
• The Times of India
• The Hindustan Times
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs
• Writing [Link]
• Wikipedia