Consumer Rights

Oh no! It’s starting to really pour. Jenny! You’re getting soaked! That new jacket you’re wearing said on the label it was waterproof.

Hardly! You know you can take it back to the store, right? You could exchange it for a different item, or get your money back. You have rights when you buy something, when you’re a consumer. Laws protecting consumers are different around the world, but they follow the same general principles.

These principles are known as consumer rights. What are these rights, and how do they work? Let’s start with that jacket Jenny bought. When something you buy doesn’t work properly, or doesn’t do what it says it will, you have the right to go back to the company to seek a solution — usually an exchange or refund. This is the right to redress.

This right doesn’t cover you if you simply change your mind about an item — your return options then will depend on the return policy of the store or company. But in the case of Jenny’s not-so-waterproof jacket, she can use her right to redress to exchange it for one that will actually keep her dry! Jenny’s hair is drenched after that downpour. She grabs her blow dryer. Jenny, watch out!

It’s caught on fire! Oh no, you’ve burned your hand. When Jenny bought that blow dryer, she expected it to be safe. In fact, she had a right to safety. The right to safety means products should not cause harm — as long as they are used for the purpose they’re designed for.

The company that made or sold the hairdryer breached their customers’ right to safety. They will need to take back the hairdryer from anyone who bought it — to recall it — and they might be punished under the law. Now Jenny is at the pharmacy looking for cream to treat that minor burn she got. But how can she tell which cream will help? And how can she be sure what chemicals she’s putting on her skin?

The boxes and bottles Jenny’s looking at give information about the creams’ ingredients, what they do, and any possible side effects. They must give this information by law, because consumers have a right to be informed. According to this right, companies can’t lie or trick customers about what’s in their products. They must give complete and truthful information so customers can make an educated choice about which products to buy. The right to redress, the right to safety, and the right to be informed are three important consumer rights.

There are many others, too. They include: being able to choose freely from a range of products provided by different companies, known as the right to choose; access to essential goods and services, like food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, called the right to the satisfaction of basic needs; and the promise that the government will listen to consumers, that they will pay attention to their needs and wants when making laws — the right to be heard. These consumer rights exist around the world, but there are others specific to certain places. To find out about consumer rights where you live, you could check online. Many government websites contain useful information.

So do the websites of consumer organisations, which help people who feel their rights have been broken. Consumer rights are important to have, and important to know about, so that we can be provided for and protected when we shop. Isn’t that right, Jenny? Bear in mind your consumer rights while you’re shopping for that new hair dryer!