The wheels of the economy work in a way where everyone is a consumer of some or the other product or service. Be it a business creator or a homemaker, consumption is an activity that is inevitable and part of the human experience. As customers of several brands across various verticals, it is possible for us to encounter poor services at some point in our lives. When this happens, of course, money and time are lost. But the Government has regulations in place to safeguard the interests of the consumers. These regulations form part of our consumer rights, which service providers and companies need to adhere to if they wish to keep operating in the US. However, we’ve seen many people skip seeking redressal because they are not aware of their rights as consumers.
As citizens of a country that puts its people first, it is also essential for us to understand the scope of our rights. If you need some help with consumer rights, this blog is the best place to start! Today, we will provide a brief look into them as well as scenarios where these rights need to be exercised. Let’s get started!
- Right to Safety: Your first right as a consumer is safety while consuming products or availing of services. This includes food items consumer goods, and drugs. There are departments like the FDA or the Food and Drug Administration as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that are responsible to ensure that companies adhere to the most stringent rules ensuring safety. One applicable case to be filed would be if you consumed a product and fell sick due to it. Food poisoning, infections, or other ailments can lead to a solid base for a lawsuit.
- Right to Information: If you have noticed the back-side packaging of any product you purchase or browse through at the store, you’ll notice a lot of information regarding the manufacture and contents of the package. This is in adherence to your Right to Information, which stipulates that every service provider or product-selling brand is liable to give accurate and updated information regarding their services and products to the consumers. Businesses are required to provide details about the ingredients, composition, any known side effects, refund policies, and other information. If you were denied information upon inquiry, you can sue the company for infringement of consumer rights.
- Right to Privacy: Since the digital world makes it even easier to exploit consumer information, we need the Right to Privacy more than ever today. Brands are prohibited from collecting sensitive data, sharing, or using it for their gains. If a company has used your personal details for any other repurpose except completing a transaction, you can sue for damages.
- Right to Choose: If you find sellers trying to push customers into buying one particular brand or product, their Right to Choose is at stake. Consumers have the right to pick a product of their liking, which also demotivates brands from using deceptive advertisements or coercion strategies to make them buy their products and services.
- Right to Seek Redressal: If you have been wronged by a brand you availed services or purchased products from, you’re within your rights to sue for damages. One of the biggest instances would be women who hesitate to sue their favorite salon because of poor services. A popular case ongoing in the US is the battle against damages faced due to hair relaxers. In this case, contact a hair relaxer law firm to represent you and seek compensation for the physical damage and mental trauma experienced.
- Right to Cancellation: As customers, you can change your mind and cancel a transaction within the stipulated time. The next time you feel pressured into following through with a contract when you don’t feel like it, remember that you have a choice!
- Right to Fair Treatment: When you enter a store, firm, agency, or salon, the staff and business are to treat you with fairness. Denying a customer based on their race, ethnicity, presumed financial status, appearance, faith, or other discriminatory factors is a punishable offense.
Final Word:
Understanding how the law supports its citizens is essential to being a model resident of a country. It also gives you the advantage of never having to deal with rude managers, poor customer service, or fraudulent business activities. If this blog helped you understand consumer rights, pass on the message and share it with someone else who could use it. When in doubt, speak to a legal expert who can also help you build a case. Otherwise, there are several resources online to help you understand what kind of lawsuit you would be required to file for redressal. For more such informative blogs, stay tuned to our next editorials!
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