All of us are consumer sand; we will easily recollect situations when retailers have wronged us. They may have made empty promises about their products or services, charged an extremely high price for a substandard product, sold a faulty product, and never returned calls. Often we feel dependent on these situations and let the retailers have their way. Most of us stop going to them again and warn others of the poor services or products.
Few people seek recourse using their consumer rights and try to get what is rightfully theirs in the eyes of the law. Every nation has laws protecting consumers from illegal vendors and companies that work to take advantage of customers. Many of us think that it is too much trouble, and it is not for them and leave these things to consumer bodies and government organizations. It happens mainly because of ignorance regarding consumer rights. Most people receive very little education regarding consumer rights and statutory rights. However, we cannot only blame the system. Ultimately, we pay the price to take the initiative to understand our rights as consumers. Many online resources will educate us in dealing with retailers and service providers who take advantage of our ignorance in terms of our rights and privileges.
To have a valid claim based on your consumer rights, you must be a consumer who purchased a product or a service for personal use and not for business use. Consumers should not be intimidated by the size of the business they are dealing with, as consumer law does not consider the size of the company.
Civil law provides your statutory rights. However, much of the consumer protection law is criminal law. If the trader that you are dealing with has committed a criminal offense, you will not be able to make a civil claim. It is the duty of proper authorities to take action.
Never overtake the courts before knowing your rights clearly. It will save you plenty of time, and it will save you from unnecessary stress. Before taking any action approach, the dealer first and, if necessary, lodge a formal complaint. If they continue to ignore your claim, you can then escalate it to the courts or a relevant trade body or ombudsman.
