Those rights designed for the benefit and protection of consumers and to force the producers and providers to take the consumer's perspective. Various laws and protective bodies augment the rights and powers of consumers in relation to sellers up to the point where the consumer is able to defend his interests.
An example is John F Kennedy's Consumer Bill of Rights in 1962, which is the landmark legislation in this area and defines the four fundamental principles and rights of the consumer:1 The right of consumers to be protected from defective goods and services and unscrupulous or illegal traders.2 The right of consumers to be informed about what they are buying, the price, quality, contents, and guarantees for the product or service.3 The consumer's right to choose and to have a range of competing choices and prices.4 The consumer's right to be heard by producers and retailers and to have means of redress against them if required.
1 The right of consumers to be protected from defective goods and services and unscrupulous or illegal traders.
2 The right of consumers to be informed about what they are buying, the price, quality, contents, and guarantees for the product or service.
3 The consumer's right to choose and to have a range of competing choices and prices.
4 The consumer's right to be heard by producers and retailers and to have means of redress against them if required.
Consumers' rights are, in the advanced economies, becoming as important as political, social, and human rights, and have gained a further stimulus as a result of new trading patterns resulting from globalization and the Internet.