Consumer Responsibilities

Family Economics And Consumer Education 3 (2+1)

Lesson 16 : Consumer Rights And Responsibilities

Consumer Responsibilities

Where there are rights, there are responsibilities. The primary responsibility of consumer is to be aware of their roles and function in the economy and perform it effectively. This requires knowledge and training of consumerism. The consumer should never encourage wastage of the resources and should always be honest in his dealings.
He should protest the injustice in consumerism. It is therefore very important to shoulder his responsibilities first and use his rights next. To be effective while exercising his rights, every consumer should behave in a responsible manner.
Consumer has to follow certain discipline to safe guard his interest in his buying functions.
The Following Suggestions Indicate His Responsibilities

  1. The consumer should obtain and use information regarding all kinds of purchase.
  2. The consumer should always plan his purchasing and should make up his mind as what exactly he wants to purchase.
  3. All buying decisions should be made by the consumer himself, he should not be influenced by the people around like friends, relatives etc or the seller or advertisements.
  4. It is also the responsibility of the consumer to make all his purchase himself.
  5. Before making the purchases or accepting the services the consumer should obtain the information in detail about product or service.
  6. The consumer should know that, “wise” buying decision would raise the standards of products in market.
  7. Every consumer should keep the receipts and relevant documents safely for future reference.
  8. The consumer should behave honestly. He should not misuse his rights to exploit the seller.
  9. A consumer should not only show interest in his claims but also be willing to shoulder responsibility of the claims of his fellow consumers. He should join hands with others when he finds that another consumer is being cheated for injustice.
  10. The consumer should point out the seller’s mistake at the same point itself. If it does not work, then he should take further actions.
  11. The consumer should never encourage black marketing and hoardings.
  12. The consumer has the responsibility to conserve the natural resources and environment.
  13. It is the responsibility of the consumer not to pollute the environment while disposing of waste materials.
  14. The consumer should try to buy and use the eco-friendly products.
  15. It is the responsibility of the consumer to determine what goods and services will give us the greatest advantage and decide how to choose, obtain and use these goods and services to the greatest advantage.

It is the collective responsibility of the consumer, producer and the Government to weigh the real cost of all their decisions because these decisions are likely to ultimate status of the economy of the country.
A consumer is responsible in making economical decisions as

  • A consumer
  • A worker
  • A citizen

As a consumer he is concerned with obtaining and using the economic goods and services that will satisfy his wants.
As a worker he attempts to earn an income that would provide him with an opportunity to satisfy his wants.
As a citizen he has a vital role to play in the economic decisions that are made for the nation as a whole.

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Last modified: Tuesday, 3 April 2012, 12:31 PM