Consumer Matters
Consumer is the purpose and most powerful motivating force of production, yet at the same time consumer is equally vulnerable segment of the whole marketing system. Attempts have been made to guard the interest of the consumer. In 1986, the Government of India enacted a comprehensive legislation-Consumer Protection Act, to safe guard the interest of the consumer. The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, applies to all goods and services, excluding goods for resale or for commercial purpose and services rendered free of charge and under a contract for personal service. The provisions of the Act are compensatory in nature. It covers public, private, joint and cooperative sectors.
The Act enshrines the rights of the consumer such as right to safety, right to be informed, right to be heard, and right to choose, right to seek redressal and right to consumer education.All of us are consumers of goods and services. For the purpose of the Consumer Protection Act, the word "consumer" has been defined separately for "goods" and "services".
Indian middle class is one of the largest consumer force in the world. With the opening up of the Indian market and the advent of Globalization and liberalisation, the spending power of the Indian Consumer has considerably increased. This has inevitably led to the rise of consumer disputes. It was against this background that the Government passed the Consumer Protection Act 1986, and the rules there under. At Mento Associates, we educate and advise our clients about their rights as consumers and protect them against exploitation from the hands of unscrupulous manufacturers and service providers. We conduct consumer matters before District Consumer Forums, State Commission etc.