A Project Report on

“Unaware Consumers
and Consumer Rights

Name: ____________________________________________________
School:____________________________________________________
 Year:_______________________ Class: 10th A/B/C/_______________

Submitted to: ______________________________________________

Certificate

This is to certify that the Project work entitled “Unaware Consumers

and Consumer Rights” is a bonafide record of independent project work

done by _________________ (Student name) under my supervision

and submitted to ____________________________ (School name).

 ________________________

Signature

Acknowledgment

I am using this opportunity to express my

gratitude to my teacher___________ as well as
our principal______________ who gave me this
golden opportunity to do such a good project on
the topic, “Unaware Consumers and Consumer
Rights”.

I am thankful to everyone who supported me in

completing this project and gave me their aspiring
guidance, friendly advice, and invaluable
feedback during the project. I am sincerely
grateful to all of my friends, co-partners, family,
and guides who shared their truthful and
illuminating views on several issues related to the
project by devoting their precious time.
 Thank you,
________________________

Contents
1.Introduction
2.Objective
3.Who is a Consumer?
4.Consumer Protection and Common Problems
faced by a Consumer in Market Place
5.Consumer Movement in India
6.Consumer Protection Act, 1986
a.Three-tier System
b.Consumer Rights
7.Learning to become a well-informed
consumer
a.7.1 Consumer Responsibilities
b.7.2 Quality Standard Marks
8.Conclusion
INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER RIGHT

The Word “consumer” is a derivative of the Latin word

“Consumere” which means, “to take up totally or to
eat’. The consumer cons you mess up or use any
commodity or service available to him either from
natural resources or through a market. According to
John F. Kennedy, “Consumer by definition includes
everyone. There is the largest economic grope affecting
and affected by almost every public and private
economic decision”. The Consumer Protection Act,
of 1986 defines the consumer as ‘one who buys any
goods, hires any services or partly paid and partly
promised or under any system of deferred payment”
Objective
Consumer awareness refers to the level of understanding and
knowledge that individuals possess regarding their rights and
responsibilities as consumers in the marketplace. It involves
being informed about the products and services available,
their quality, safety standards, pricing, and the ethical
practices of businesses.
o Empowerment

o Safety Assurance

o Ethical Business Practices

o Product Information

o Legal Knowledge
Who is a consumer?
A customer (also
known as a client,
buyer, or purchaser) is
the recipient of a
good, service, product,
or idea, obtained from
a seller, vendor, or
supplier for a
monetary or other
valuable consideration.
Customers are generally categorized into two
types:
An intermediate customer or trade customer, is a
dealer that purchases goods for re-sale.
An ultimate customer, who does not in turn re-sell
the things bought but either passes them to the
consumer or is the consumer.

Consumer Protection and Common Problems

Faced by a Consumer in Market Place.

Consumer protection refers to the measures adopted

to safeguard the interests and rights of consumers and
to help them get their grievances redressed and means
protecting the consumers from unscrupulous,
exploitative, and unfair trade practices of a seller or a
producer to maximize their profits. The importance of
consumer protection from the consumer’s point of
view can be understood from the following points:
• Consumer’s Ignorance: In the light of widespread
ignorance of consumers about their rights and
the reliefs available to them. Consumers might be
exploited by marketers and thus, consumer protection
provides a safeguard to the consumers from such
exploitation.
• Unorganised Consumers: Generally, in India, though
we have NGOs and Consumer organizations, consumers
are not organized. Thus, to protect and promote their
interest, adequate consumer protection is required.
Consumers face problems in the marketplace due to
some common malpractices by shopkeepers which are
given below:
• Sale of adulterated goods
• Sale of spurious goods
• Sale of sub-standard goods
• Misleading advertisements
• Overcharging of price
• Fake scarcity
• Sale of defective goods
 iConsumer Movement in
India
It is an organized and collective movement of
consumers. The main object of this movement is to
educate and unite consumers and to fight for the
protection of their rights. The consumer movement is
similar to trade unions because it is a collective
approach to solving the malpractices and injustice done
by any organization.
The main reasons for the Consumer Movement were:
• Lack of legal system to protect the consumers from
exploitation in the marketplace
• Rampant food shortages
• Black marketing
• Hoarding
• Adulteration of food and edible oil Till the 1970s,
objectives, set at the time of origin, were not achieved
as consumer organizations largely engaged in writing
articles and holding exhibitions.
Then, they formed consumer groups to look into the
malpractices in ration shops and overcrowding in road
passenger transport.
Till the 1970s, consumer organizations were largely
engaged in writing articles and holding exhibitions.
They formed consumer groups to look into the
malpractices in ration shops and overcrowding in road
passenger transport. More recently, India witnessed an
upsurge in the number of consumer groups.

Consumer Protection Act,

1986
The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 in India was enacted to
safeguard consumers' interests and promote fair trade
practices. Key features include:
1. **Consumer Rights
2. **Consumer Disputes Redressal Mechanism
3. **Prohibition of Unfair Trade Practices
4. **Liability of Manufacturers and Service Providers
5. **Consumer Education
Three tier system
1. **District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum
(DCDRF)**:
- **Jurisdiction**: Deals with complaints where the value of goods
or services does not exceed ₹20 lakhs (₹2 million).
- **Composition**: Consists of a president and two other
members, one of whom should be a woman.
- **Function**: Provides a quick resolution for consumer
grievances at the district level.

2. **State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC)**:

- **Jurisdiction**: Handles complaints where the value exceeds
₹20 lakhs but is less than ₹1 crore (₹10 million).
- **Composition**: Comprised of a president and two members,
with at least one woman.
- **Function**: Addresses appeals against the decisions of the
DCDRF and hears cases directly within its monetary jurisdiction.

3. **National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC)**:

- **Jurisdiction**: Takes on complaints where the value exceeds ₹1
crore.
 - **Composition**: Consists of a chairperson and other members,
appointed by the central government.
- **Function**: Serves as the apex consumer redressal forum,
hearing appeals from the SCDRC and addressing significant consumer
issues.
This structured approach ensures that consumers have multiple
levels of recourse based on the value and complexity of their
grievances, promoting efficient and timely resolution of disputes.

Consumer rights are protections put in place

to ensure that buyers of goods and services are treated
fairly and have access to safe, high-quality products.
These rights include the right to safety, to be informed,
to choose freely, and to be heard. They empower
consumers by providing access to information and
ensuring that products meet health and safety
standards. Consumer rights also enable people to seek
redress if they are harmed or misled, fostering a
marketplace where consumers can make informed
decisions and trust the quality and reliability of what
they purchase.