Purpose of Consumer Protection Act 2019
- legal protection to safeguard interests of a consumer.
caveat emptor - Let the buyer beware.
caveat venditor - Let the seller beware.
Unethical Malpractices by businesses (Problems of consumers)
- Sale of adulterated goods
- Sale of counterfeit goods
- Sale of sub-standard goods
- Sale of duplicate goods
- Use of malfunctioning weights and measures
- Black marketing and hoarding
- Overcharging a product
- Defective goods
- Misleading advertisements
- Supply of inferior services
Importance of Consumer Protection:
From the point of view of consumers
- consumers are ignorant,
- unorganised consumers
- exploitation by sellers.
From point of view of a business
- Long-term interest of business
- Business uses society’s resources
- Social responsibility of business
- Moral justification
- To avoid government intervention
Consumer Rights
- Right to safety
- Right to be informed
- Right to be assured
- Right to be heard
- Right to seek redressal
- Right to consumer education