Claim your crown, King Customer!

Shashank Chouhan

`Consumers by definition include us all,` Kennedy said in his 15 March 1962 declaration to the US Congress. `They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group... whose views are often not heard.` Every individual is a consumer regardless of their age, sex, profession and community or religion. What the consumer buys more or less decides the fate of a nation’s economy. Consumer’s development is indeed the nation’s development. That very process of ‘development’ calls for safeguarding the interests of the consumer to the maximum extent possible.

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It is now universally accepted that the level of consumer protection is a true indicator of the level of progress in a country. A minimum level of consumer protection and responsiveness to his expectations and requirements is considered an essential aspect of any civil society. Recognising this, the United Nations General Assembly laid down guidelines for consumer protection in 1985. These are for use by member-countries to incorporate through policy changes or law. Under the guidelines, consumer protection encompasses 7 areas:

Physical safety

Protection and promotion of the consumer economic interest

Standards for the safety and quality of consumer goods and services

Distribution facilities for consumer goods and services

Measures enabling consumers to obtain redress

Measures relating to specific areas (food, water and pharmaceuticals) and

Consumer education and information programmes Soon after the adoption of the UN guidelines, India enacted the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 to provide a simple, speedy, and inexpensive redressal mechanism to address the grievances of the consumers. The Act enshrines various rights to safeguard the consumer and provides for the setting up of District Consumer Forums. India is the only country in the world which has exclusive courts for consumer redressal. But the sad irony is that even after more than two decades of consumer protection laws in India, most of the people are unaware about them. According to an ORG-MARG report 66 per cent of interviewed consumers were not aware of consumer rights and 82 per cent were unaware of the Act. Only 13 per cent of the consumers said they were in the know of the existence of redressal agencies. The majority did not know that a consumer could argue his or her own case in the consumer forums. So is Consumer really the King? The question should actually be- Does the Consumer want to be the King? Not really, seems to be the answer. Consider the spurt in credit card holders in India. Almost everyday one receives a pestering call by a sales agent of some bank trying to sell you their credit card. Many of the call receivers do accept the offers- without knowing about any catch. A report this year said that India’s credit card holders are ripped of Rs 6000cr as extra charges in the last decade. Many of these cards were brought after the banks assured the buyers of ‘no-charge’. This is a result of consumer ignorance of financial nature. Every sector is laced with such stories. Consumers have none other to blame but them. The government on its part conducts periodic campaigns for consumer awareness, but we shrug them off. Undoubtedly, this behaviour also reflects on the government’s poor strategy. While the retailers catch the consumers as and when they want to, the consumer protection forums come in only when the harm has been done. Earlier, the answer to the woes of a consumer was seen in competition, ending monopoly. With our market having been opened up to the world, the choices have multiplied. So have the chances of buyers being duped through false promises. Add to it the bane of our not being developed. Most of the sectors have no regulatory framework and player/s have an open field to have their day as they like. Undoubtedly the administration is waking up to put some manners where they are need but it is painfully slow. We need to protect ourselves, thus. According to Anil Dharker, journalist & media critic, “If the government will not be on the consumer`s side, and the consumer himself shows apathy, who will help him? The consumer body watchdogs, most of them made up of part-time, voluntary workers, with noble intentions and not much else? It`s an unequal battle when you consider the experts ranged against them. The only way seems to be to use the media and the courts. And for NGOs to activate government bodies, rather than fight the battle themselves.” National Consumer Day on December 24 is an annual occasion for consumer protection and support organisations to remind consumers that there are places they can go for advice and assistance. It’s a day for celebration and solidarity within the consumer movement. But more importantly it is a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them. Its time that we realize that until we are aware of our rights and duties, no one really will be able to help us put our money and trust in right hands. Its your hard earned money after all which gets protection once you realise the power of being an enlightened consumer, truly a King.