World Consumers Rights Day 2017: ‘Building A Digital World Consumers Can Trust’
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), initiated in 1983 is an awareness day observed on the 15th of March each year. It is celebrated annually to promote action amongst people for the international consumer movement. Everyone is a consumer and the World Consumer Rights Day provides a platform for all consumers to voice any difficulties they face or have faced in the past. It ensures that their rights are respected and protected over injustice done in the market.
The World Consumers Rights Day was inspired by none other than ex-President John F Kennedy of the United States of America, who gave an address to the US Congress on 15 March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. In doing so, he became the world’s first president to talk about the issue, and the consumer movement now marks that date every year as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights he envisioned back then.
Every year a theme is chosen to mark this event, and this year the theme is of ‘Building a digital world consumers can trust’. In today’s age, where Facebook, Instagram and other digital communication and social media platforms dominate daily life, consumers need to be aware of the impact of these online services on them. There is no question that such technologies are helping the world in many ways, but blind trust on such media can sometimes prove detrimental.
Another area that is pertinent nowadays is the rapid pace of technological growth. Gone are the times when telephones and personal computers took time to reach the masses. Nowadays consumers are ready to grab the next big thing in the digital space and get rapid information about products released on a daily basis. This drastic change in the mind-set of consumers also makes it incumbent on them to be adequately educated about the digital space where they conduct economic, social and other activities. In accordance with these issues, Consumers International (CI) has made the following points that it considers important for customers to know:
- Right to safety: Protection against goods and services that can be dangerous to one’s health.
- Right to choose: The option to choose from an array of goods and services with assurance of good quality at competitive prices.
- Right to information: Making choices based on honest advertising and promotion
- Right to be heard: To voice their opinion regarding government policies relating to consumers.
Everyone consumes for different reasons, be it for satisfaction, luxury, or just simple everyday needs. A customer with knowledge about the goods and services makes a wise decision regarding the same. However, often the right or correct information is not provided to consumers and misleads them. Advertisements and Promotions are used to market various products but if done wrong, they can adversely affects the consumer’s best interests. The World Consumer Rights Day plays a crucial role in safeguarding the consumers’ interests by raising awareness about the consumers’ rights regarding authenticity and quality of products and services.
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