The set-up of consumer forum is geared to provide relief to both parties, and discourage long litigation
Besides basic necessities, we need a variety of things in our daily lives such as cell phones, digital cameras, soaps, perfumes, cosmetics and many more things. Thus, all of us are consumers in the literal sense of the term. When we buy things from the market as a consumer, we expect value for money, i.e., right quality, right quantity, right price, information about the mode of use, etc. But there may be instances where a consumer is cheated.
In such a case, most of us don’t know to whom we should approach to seek redressal against our complaints. Many of us also don't know our “rights” as a consumer and often hesitate to complaint or even stand up to unfair practices. We also don't have recourse to costly litigation to seek justice and we continue to bear such injustice. It is here that consumer forums exist which can help you seek justice against unfair practices without incurring exorbitant litigation costs. The below article provides basic information of what is Consumer Protection Act, 1986, its advantages for consumers, basic rights of the consumers and consumer redressal forums among other things.
Consumer Protection Act, 1986
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted to provide a simpler and quicker access to redress of consumer grievances. The Act seeks to promote and protects the interest of consumers against deficiencies and defects in goods or services. It also seeks to secure the rights of a consumer against unfair trade practices, which may be practiced by manufacturers and traders.
The set-up of consumer forum is geared to provide relief to both parties, and discourage long litigation. In a process called 'informal adjudication', forum officials mediate between the two parties and urge compromise.
The Act applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted by the Central Government. It covers all the sectors whether private, public or cooperative.
This Act has provided machinery whereby consumers can file their complaints which will be heard by the consumer forums with special powers so that action can be taken against erring suppliers and the possible compensation may be awarded to consumer for the hardships he has undergone.
The consumer under this law is not required to deposit huge court fees, which earlier used to deter consumers from approaching the courts. The rigours of court procedures have been replaced with simple procedures as compared to the normal courts, which helps in quicker redressal of grievances. The provisions of the Act are compensatory in nature.
Please remember, consumer courts provide redress only in cases of products or services for personal use, defects in products used for commercial purposes are not entertained.
Basic rights of consumers include:
Consumer redressal forum
Under the Consumer Protection Act, every district has at least one consumer redressal forum also called a consumer court. Here, consumers can get their grievances heard. Above the district forums are the state commissions. At the top is the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in New Delhi.
A written complaint to the company is taken as proof that the company has been informed. The complaint must be backed by copies of bills, prescriptions and other relevant documents, and should set a deadline for the company to respond. Consumers can also complain through a consumer organisation.
Claims of less than Rs. 5 lakh should be filed with district forum, claims of Rs. 5-Rs. 20 lakh directly with the state commission, and claims of more than Rs. 20 lakh with the National Commission.
To file the complaint:
Appeal
Appeal is a legal instrumentality whereby a person not satisfied with the findings of a court has an option to go to a higher court to present his case and seek justice. In the context of consumer forums:
Penalties
The consumer courts (district court, state commission and National Commission) are given vast powers to enforce their orders. If a defaulter does not appear in court despite notices and reminders, the court may decide the matter in his absence. The forum can sentence the defaulter to a maximum of three years' imprisonment and impose a fine of Rs. 10,000. Forums can issue warrants to produce defaulters in court. They can use the police and revenue departments to enforce orders.
The rights of consumers needs to be protected since they avail services given by the service providers based on trust and faith and thus it’s a necessity to keep a check on the service providers for the sake of service recipient.
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