Consumer Rights

Consumers are the customers who consume goods and services for personal purposes. So, the goods and services are consumed not only by the consumer but they can be manufacturers and service providers, suppliers and sellers as well. Any person can be a producer and distributor for one product, and can be a consumer for another product or services. Hence a consumer is any individual, institution, company, etc.

Nepal's Constitution Part 3 Section 44 defines Consumer Rights in Nepal. It defines clearly that each consumer has a right to quality product and service. The Ministry of Commerce has defined consumer as any person or group that consumes goods and services. The Consumer Protection Act Article 2 defines a consumer as any person or organization that consumes or takes service.

Consumers' rights include consumer goods and services related to the consumer. Various efforts should be made for the protection of the consumers. Consumers’ related law was first introduced in the United States of America, on March 15^th 1963. This is why March 15^th is the celebrated as International Consumers Day every year. The law mentions that a consumer is entitled to quality goods and services, and has a right to compensation if the quality of the product is not good. The United Nations has defined 8 rights as consumers’ rights.

Consumers’ Protection Act 2055 was issued on 1^st Baishakh 2054 B.S. It defines the following:

1. Right to be safe from bad consumer product that can harm body, health or property.
2. Right to information about cost, quality, quantity, purity, etc. to prevent unethical business activities.
3. Right to choose product and service in competitive prices.
4. Right to assurance for consumer conservation.
5. Protection from exploitation from inappropriate business activity against consumer rights.
6. Rights to consumer education.

The Consumer Act defines the following that needs to be included by a producer in any manufactured product:

1. Name, address and registration numbers of the producer.
2. Foods and medicines need to include ingredients, quantity and weight.
3. Quality assurance stamp in the product that passes quality assurance.
4. Consumer product consumption steps and side-effects from the consumption.
5. The price of the product, batch number, production date, and expiry date.
6. Guarantee, guarantee date, and other details in the electrical components products, hardware or machinery products.
7. Warning notices in the products of flammable, accidental and breakable substance.

Consumers have the right to complain if the goods or service is not according to the quality standard. In these cases, the consumer can file the complaint themselves, or go through any consumers’ rights group. The complaint can be made in Commerce Department, District Administration Office or nearby Police Station.

We can get the following from the consumer education:

1. This gives consumers the choice in consumer goods.
2. Consumers are aware of the problems that a customer might face in the market.
3. Consumer education provides consumers complete information about the market. This can help in the correct purchase of a product.
4. Consumer knows the quality of consumer goods.
5. The consumer knows about the government rules for consumer products. As a result, the satisfactory purchase can be made.

Education and consciousness are necessary to know consumer rights. There is no knowledge about the consumers’ rights without consumer education. Consumer education is essential to understand the illegal businesses or low quality products. Consumer knowledge can be obtained through consumer education.