Chapter 23: Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

Consumer Rights

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The Consumer Bill of Rights

• In 1962, President John F. Kennedy outlined what he called the Consumer Bill of Rights.
  • The bill stated that every person has four basic consumer rights—the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to safety, and the right to be heard.
• These rights received a lot of attention from the consumer movement, a movement to pass laws protecting consumers from unfair and unsafe business practices.
• As a consumer, you have a right to receive accurate information.
• Because the United States has a market economy, its consumers can choose from a wide variety of goods and services.
• You have a right to products that are safe to use.
  • Product liability is the legal responsibility that manufacturers have to make a safe product.
• Consumers who have complaints about products or services have a right to be heard.
  • Sometimes products do not work properly after they are purchased.
  • Usually if a customer takes a defective item back to a store with a receipt, the business will replace it or issue a refund.
• Consumers have the right to learn how a market system works.
• There are always some businesses that do not operate in the best interests of the consumer.
  • Some might try a tactic known as bait and switch.
  • Bait and switch is a sales tactic in which buyers are tempted by an advertised bargain but are then persuaded to buy a more expensive item instead.
• Customers have a right to be treated in a respectful and courteous manner.

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Consumer Responsibilities

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Your Responsibilities as a Consumer

• As a consumer, you have the responsibility to educate yourself.
• Responsible consumers know what they are buying.
  • Before making a major purchase, you should always do some homework.
• Responsible consumers make comparisons to find the best product or service at the best price.
• Many consumer choices can affect the environment
  • Illegal dumping can harm natural habitats.
  • All of these things contribute to pollution, the contamination of air, water, and land.
  • Pollution is caused by waste from products as well as the ways we use them.
• As the population grows, the demand for resources increases.
• Conservation is the process of preserving, protecting, and planning the management of resources.
• Recycling involves collecting products for processing so that they can be used again.
• Consumers must follow the instructions provided in product manuals or other materials on the safe use of products.
• Responsible consumers can help improve the policies and products of the businesses where they shop.
• If you object to a company’s policies or products, you could organize a boycott, a refusal to buy its goods or services.
• Part of being a good consumer is getting the best value for your money.
• You have a responsibility to seek a remedy for a defective product.

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