Under
the consumer protection law consumers and sellers have rights and
responsibilities. It is important that both parties when engaging in any
transaction, they have a clear understanding of their respective rights and obligations.
Consumers
have the right to;
Satisfy their Basic Needs: Consumers essentially buy goods and services
in order to address basic needs. Therefore it is their right access to
essential goods and services such as adequate food, clothing, shelter, health
care, education, public utilities, water, and sanitation.
Safety: Consumers have a right to
goods that are safe, that comply to standards and are free from defects. Suppliers must ensure that that the
goods they are selling do not infringe on this right. Suppliers must conduct due
diligence and ensure that the goods and services they provide are safe, free of
defects that can cause loss or injury to the consumers.
Information which must also be accurate and
factual: Consumers have a right to information relating to goods or services they
buy. Consumers are protected from fraudulent, deceitful or
misleading information and have access to accurate information and facts needed
to make informed choices and decisions. The information must be a statement of account, assertion
of facts, declaration, depiction, explanation, illustration, indication,
narration, narrative, portraiture, portrayal, presentation, report, setting
forth. It should be noted that a statement may be express or implied. It is
therefore illegal to make for a supplier to make misleading representation of a
product regarding its standard, origin, usage, price, form, history,
association, benefits of usage, make and components, users, producers and performance,
among others
Choose and select the product or service:
Consumers
have a right to access, choose, examine and select the product or service they
want to purchase. This
means that consumers have a right to choose freely among product offered by
different companies or by one company where the products are of different variants.
Be Heard and get Redress: Consumers have
a right to be heard and receive due consideration in the invent that
any of their rights is infringed upon. Consumers have to be enabled to put
forward their complaints and concerns to the companies or Government and ensure
that their issues are taken into consideration as well as handled
expeditiously. In addition consumers have a right to redress where the rights
are infringed upon. They have a right to compensation, refund or any other satisfactory
redress for any loses, injuries or damages incurred as a result of the infringement
Consumer Education: Consumers
have a right to be educated to enable them acquire knowledge and skills to make
informed choices about goods and services while having regard to their rights
and responsibilities.
Healthy Environment: Consumers
have the right to live in a healthy, pollution-free environment that enhances
quality of life. Suppliers must therefore that they conduct businesses in manner
that keeps the environment free of hazards and that the products are equally
safe.
On the other hand, consumers have the responsibility
to’
(1)
Be aware of the quality and safety of goods and
services they purchase
(2)
Collect information available about a product or
service and keep up with changes or innovations taking place in the market.
(3)
Think as well as make choices independently and
consider immediate needs and wants
(4)
Speak out, and to inform businesses or government of
needs and wants
(5)
Complain or inform businesses along with other people
about discontentment with a product or service in anhonest way.
(6)
Be ethical and be fair and not engage not in any malpractices
(7) Respect the Environment and
avoid waste, littering and contribution to pollution.
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