It pays to uphold consumer rights

The world celebrated World Consumer Rights Day on Tuesday. Malta participated fully on this day with the central theme being Enhancing Trust Between The Consumer And Businesses. This day has been celebrated annually since 1963 when President John F. Kennedy formally addressed the US Congress on the issue of consumer rights. On that occasion, he became the first world leader to do so and, every year on March 15, consumer rights are brought to the fore to further raise global awareness on the issue.

While I strongly believe Consumer Rights’ Day should be celebrated in practice every day and not once a year, the whole world should consider this annual event as an opportunity for consumers to protect themselves further by truly understanding and exercising their rights and responsibilities when buying any product or service. Practically, all the citizens in the world are consumers and, therefore, we should know their rights and obligations.

As consumers we are paying for what we purchase, therefore we should be able to obtain full information on the product before we buy any item or service. At the same time, it is very important to be adequately informed about our rights and what we should expect from the service or the product we have paid for.

The same goes for business owners who also have the responsibility and duty not to mislead the consumers acquiring a product or service. However, one should also understand they have the right to enhance and market their product in a way that can increase sales. Ideally, there should be full trust between the consumer and the seller and this is what we are ultimately aiming for.

In a world that is changing at a rapid pace, the consumer has more power and rights. There are eight specific points consumers should look at before and while a product or service is being purchased in order to safeguard one’s interest:

1. The right to obtain satisfaction of basic needs: When buying consumer goods and essential services, any consumer should have access to basic information. This applies to cases such as food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water and sanitation.

2. The right to safety: It is highly important that the consumer is protected against products, production processes and services that are hazardous to health or life.

3. The right to be informed: Every consumer should be given all the facts needed to make an informative choice. Thus, the consumer is protected against dishonest or misleading advertising.

4. The right to choose: The consumer should be able to select from a range of products and services, offered at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.

5. The right to be heard: Consumer interests should be represented in the making and execution of government policy and in the development of products and services.

6. The right to redress: Just claims should be settled fairly, including compensation for misrepresentation, shoddy goods or unsatisfactory services.

7. The right to consumer education: The consumer must have the necessary knowledge and skills to make choices based on information contained on the product or service. At the same time the consumer should be aware of basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.

8. The right to a healthy environment: We should live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.

Thus, on the strength of these eight rights, one must understand the responsibilities everyone has as a consumer in order to make sure all rights are protected while confidence among consumers and business owners is enhanced.

This is the only way we can ensure consumers are given the best possible level of protection in everyone’s interest.

The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.