Bell Work: What are your basic rights as a consumer?
What is a consumer?
Technically anyone who makes a purchase is a customer and the person or people who use it are consumers. For example if you mom buys cereal at Wal-Mart, she is the customer, if you eat it you are the consumer. But for this discussion we will just consider the person who buys and uses as the same person.
What are our basic rights and duties as consumers?
Right to information, websites, Youtube videos, Company hotlines, and or just labels (for food items it is nutritional facts and ingredients) should be available. With food allergies on the rise, and special diets becoming more popular, these are a big deal.
Duty to access that information and become informed before making a purchase.
Right to safety, the product should be safe to drive, ride on, sit on, lay on, eat, drink, etc.
Duty to use it in the way it is intended so it remains safe.
Right to voice our opinion, or a right to complain is another way of looking at it. This doesn't mean jump on social media, it means contact the business directly and give them a chance to fix it.
Duty to not complain to get something free, or make up something about a company that isn't true for whatever reason. The more you do this, the less serious the company will take the concerns.
Right to refund or replacement if product is not what it says it was or is not as it should be. (warranty or guarantee) When we purchase a product it should work, run, taste, etc. like it should. If it doesnt companies should back up their product.
Duty to report this in a timely manner, and only if it is the producer's fault and not because we damaged it after the purchase.
Right to competition, in a Free Market (capitalistic) society, we should have the right to choose from competing products.
Duty to "shop around" and take advantage of the different options and what works best for us.
Links to things concerning Consumer Safety
Consumer Protection Safety Commission Link
Utah Division of Consumer Protection Link
ID Theft Video