Consumer Affairs

A consumer is someone who acquires goods and services for direct use rather than for

reselling or hoarding. All economic activities have consumers at its outset and their

role in the development of market has always been valued. But it was not until the

mid-20th century that the consumers started getting the rights that they always

deserved. Consumer protection was unheard of and a legal framework to define the

relationship between the buyer and the seller was missing. The sudden outburst of

consumerism resulted in a large number of dissatisfied consumers in the mid-20th

century as companies were trying to sell more at the cost of quality of products. This

resulted in some severe changes in legislation and policies around the world to

safeguard the rights of consumers. On 15th of March 1962, President John F Kennedy

formally addressed the U.S Congress on consumer rights for the first time. To mark

this day as a milestone in the Consumer Rights Activism, March 15 is celebrated as

World Consumer Rights Day. President Kennedy asked for a new consumer

movement and thus resulted in the Consumer Rights Bill which has set parameters for

Consumer Protection Acts across the world. Almost everywhere, the Consumer

Protection Act guarantees for the right to information, right to be heard and right to

choose among other special rights guaranteed to protect the interests of consumers.

Henry David Thoreau said that the best government is that

which governs the least but the saying is not true in some circumstances and

Consumer Rights is one of those circumstances. It is necessary for government

intervention in our daily purchases because of various reasons. Some of the reasons
given when advocating for the “Why Consumers should be protected” is that it keeps

the quality of goods superior, it prevents unethical practices and it guarantees Justice

to the consumer. Other major reasons for these types of policies and acts is that it

gives consumers a sense of confidence and they experiment more in the shopping

which provides the necessary boost to the new businesses, encourages competition

and creates growth. A happy consumers shops more often and it leads to money

changing hands more often and this finally results in a prosperous economy. These

laws are made so that they prevent big companies from using unfair practices to maul

down the newcomers. In certain areas where the health of a consumer is concerned,

the quality of goods and services are monitored strictly. Consumer Rights give

additional support to those at the base of the social pyramid. If Consumers are not

happy with the way they are treated, both businesses and Government should devise

various ways to keep them satisfied.

One of the Major questions is whether Government is responsible for

protecting Consumer Rights? The federal government has complete authority to

address consumer protection issues, so one can ask whether the federal government

should play a more or less active role in regulating consumer markets (Cohen 1992).

That government should have a major role to play in the protection of the consumer is

a comparatively new idea. The trend toward increased governmental intervention

between buyer and seller is the result not of visionary political idealism, but rather of

fundamental factors currently at work in the economic marketplace (Saxby, 1968).

Various scholars believe that much role is to be played by the government in order to

ensure that the basic rights of consumers are not violated. It is necessary in order to
keep the market running smoothly and to make them educated about their rights. The

Government is responsible for creating markets which are efficient, competitive and

fair for both producers, consumers, and traders. Furthermore, the government is also

responsible for the quality check of various food materials before allowing the sellers

to sell them in the market. But the most important responsibility is the one in which it

often fails to deliver which is educating the consumers about their rights. Most of the

consumers are unaware of their rights and this results in their exploitation by big

companies for increased profit. Various non-governmental organizations also work in

this direction to make sure that consumers are aware of their rights. The government

must ensure that the consumers are getting fair value for the price they are paying and

the suppliers are taking full responsibility for their products.

More often than not, it is the consumers

who have to bear the loss and the sellers get away with their mistakes. It is indeed true

that the Consumers laws are not strict enough anywhere in the world to deter the

capitalist and profit-oriented companies to stop exploiting their consumers. But the

scenario will change in the coming years. As the consumers getting aware of their

rights, they are pushing forward across the world. The Consumer Protection scenario

in the future is hopefully going to be much better than the contemporary situation.
References:

David Cohen, What Role Should the Federal Government Play in Consumer

Protection? 21 Can. Bus. L.J. 86 (1992),

http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/lawfaculty/443/

(2011, Aug 23) A History of Consumer Rights and Improvements: Retrieved From

https://www.lexingtonlaw.com/blog/credit-repair/history-consumer-rights-

improvements.html

Kigali, (2014, Feb. 21) WHY CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW/REGULATIONS ARE

IMPORTANT? Retrieved From:

http://minicom.gov.rw/index.php?id=24&L=2&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=54&cHash=a1647bf3ce6

ad497ab942a547bfb471e

Saxbe, William B. Ohio State Law Journal, vol. 29, no. 4 (1968), 897-915.

http://hdl.handle.net/1811/69018