Take This Quiz To Find Out About Your Rights As A Consumer

A consumer is anyone who buys products and services or rents product to satisfy his own needs and wants.

You may all have heard the phrase ‘Customer is always right’ in any conversation. It is said to ensure that priority is given to customer satisfaction. This small phrase reflects on your rights as a consumer. If you are unhappy with the quality of services, then you have the right to register a complaint against the seller or consult the managerial department of that shop.

There is more to consumer rights then just addressing your concern about the product sold to the store.

For instance, if a seller has sold a damaged product to you and is unwilling to replace it, then you have the right to register a complaint in the Consumer Court. A Consumer Court is a special purpose court that deals with problems relating to customers as stated in the Consumer Protection Act. Without these courts, the Protection Act is said to be ineffective.

The procedure for the complaint is fairly simple. Any person can write the application on a white piece of paper, mentioning your name, contact details, and your concern. Along with these, attach a copy of your CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card), a copy of the receipt of the product and send it to the District Coordination Officer (DCO) or submit it to the District Consumer Court. You can file a complaint without paying the court fee and also consumers can file their claim themselves without the hiring the services of any lawyer.

Some of the reasons for registering complaints include non-issuance of receipt, the sale of an outdated product, no mention of the expiry date, manufacturing date the ingredients on any product, overcharging, misleading statements on advertisements and non-acceptance of warranty.

In Pakistan, the Consumer Protection Act was adopted first in Islamabad. This Act was formed to safeguard consumers and give them rights while they bought or leased products and services. The same law was implemented in every province of the country. Each province has its own district courts that deal with Consumer Rights issues. Punjab has its own Consumer Courts, the same goes for Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.