Consumers have Right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices and exploitation. If damage is done to the consumer, he or she has the right to get compensation depending on the degree of damage. For example, Ravi had bought a SUV, from a car dealer with 1 year warranty. While driving it, he found that it had no feature of SUV and its features are all that of ordinary car.
He filed a case in a district level consumer court in New Delhi as the car dealer agency did not respond to his repeated appeal for compensation. The court verified his document. The court gave verdict in his favour and awarded full compensation to him and frame charges against the car company for selling false product.

The following factors are responsible for the consumer exploitation:
(i) Limited information - For a correct decision and choice about a product, a consumer needs full information about the price, quality, durability, composition, etc of the product. In the absence of full and correct information, a consumer may get exploited.
(ii) Limited supplies - when the supply of goods is less than their demand, the prices may go high and may also encourage the tendency of hoarding. As a consequence, consumers will get exploited.
(iii) Limited competition - when there is limited competition with regard to production i.e., when producers are few and can control and restrict the supply of a product there is a possibility of manipulation in prices.
(iv) Low literacy - Illiteracy causes ignorance, which leads to exploitation of consumers. The level of awareness in our country is generally low.

The meaning of 'right to be informed' as provided under Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is as follows.
(a) It is the right of the consumer to get information about ingredients used, price, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date, address of the manufacturer, etc. of a product.
(b) This information helps the consumers to choose the best product after comparing the information given for different products. It helps the consumers to use the product effectively.
(c) It complies with the right of the consumers to be informed and to seek remedy through courts.
(d) Consumers can complain and ask for compensation of replacement if the product is found to be defective. Similarly, consumers can protest and complain if someone sells goods at more than the maximum retail price.

The consumer are exploited by the producers or wholesalers in various ways like:
(a) Producers indulge in unfair trade practices like when the shopkeepers weigh less than what they should.
(b) When the producers or wholesalers add charges that were not mentioned before.
(c) When adulterated or defective goods are sold by producers or wholesalers.
(d) At times, false information is passed on through media and other sources to attract consumers, who thereby get exploited by using wrong products, which are health hazards.

The steps which the consumer groups could have taken to safeguard the interests of consumers are:
(a) They should have forced the business organizations or groups to strictly follow the rules and regulations laid down by the government.
(b) They should have also supervised whether these rules and regulations are fully implemented or not.
(c) They should have lodged complaints to seek redressal on behalf of the consumers.
(d) They should organise mock plays to make the people aware about the consumer's rights and their duties.

(i) A company, for years, sold milk powder for babies all over world as the most scientific product claiming to be better than mother's milk. It took years of struggle before the company was forced to accept that it had been making false claims.
(ii) Similarly, a long battle had to be fought with court cases to make cigarette manufacturing companies accept that their product could cause cancer. Hence, there is a need for rules and regulations to ensure protection for consumers.
(iii) It took many years for organizations in India, and around the world, to create awareness amongst people. This has also the responsibility of ensuring quality of goods and services on the sellers.
(iv) Because of all these efforts, the movement succeeded in bringing pressure on business firms as well as governmnet to correct business conduct, which may be unfair, and against the interests of consumers at large. A major step taken in 1986 by the Indian government was the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act 1986, popularly known as COPRA.
(v) There are today more than 700 consumer groups in the country. (any two points)

(a) Since most of the consumers are illiterate and ignorant, trades find it easy to exploit them. With the greed of making enormous profit, they manufacture and sell such goods.
(b) We do find bad quality products in the market because the supervision of the rules and regulations in weak and the consumer movement is not strong enough. There are loop-holes in the laws to protect them.

Consumer Protection Act 1986 (COPRA) is enacted in India with following motives:
(i) To pressurize business firms.
(ii) To correct unfair business conduct.
(iii) To protect the interests of the consumers.

The need for consumer awareness was felt because both the manufacturers and traders can go to any extent out of their selfishness. They can charge high prices, and resort to underweight and under measurement methods. Their lust for money may lead to loss of money and health of consumers.

Agmark is used on spices ensuring their quality and safety.

Right to seek redressal

Agmark

Due to consumer awareness, when we purchase various goods and services, after having complete information about their price, quantity, quality etc. We make an informed choice.

Consumer movement arose out of dissatisfaction of the consumers as many unfair practices were being indulged in by the sellers.