Online shopping is secured completely under Consumer protection Act

With the boom in the retail industry, the trend of online shopping is also increased India. Most of the people would like to do the shopping by sitting in the comfort of their room. However, there are numerous people in India used to avoid online shopping due the security issues. Though the goods used to be delivered at the door step people used to avoid online shopping. One of a renowned lawyer for consumer court has pointed out that people usually have a misconception that online portals sales product. They usually provides a platform based on which merchandisers sell products.

There are several complains reported regarding online shopping such as defective delivery o the product, delay in delivery etc. However, people also complains that if they ask the companies to pay back against the damaged goods, then the companies do not take responsibility of that or sometimes do not even pay the money back. Additionally, often the companies do not accept the warranty proposed by the online portals.
However, one must not get swayed by the these problems as one can face the same problems in the physical shopping too. However, Consumer Protection law can secure the rights of the people too. Consumer forum of India treats the shopping portals as the dealers of the merchandisers. Another reason of considering them as seller is that the sales process is also channeled through them.

In order to incorporate the online portals and the e commerce sites, the new bill named Consumer protection Bill 2015 has been proposed by the government. This bill will help to sort out the increasing intricacies related to online shopping. As per the proposal of the bill, an authority will be there which will reserve the power of call back products. However, few people have argued that a separate act must be there for the online and ecommerce selling. There are lot of customer groups which have advocated of a new law in India in order to secure the million of people’s right who shops over internet.

The demand for the new bill has for consumer protection has been increased due to the new bills enacted in EU and US. They have introduced bills based on the new requirements of their people who shops on online portals. The passed bill in the parliament will be soon enacted as an act will replace the old consumer protection Act of 1986.

So from the discussion, it can be understood that the government law is enforceable strictly as on the online shopping just like physical shopping. In order to protect the right of the customers government has enforced the different IT acts, which makes the transaction safer. Still if any person would get cheated they can contact a lawyer who is expert in consumer court matters. They will assist the person to get legal support and compensation as per the law.

Protecting Your Consumer’s Right in India: An Open Economy

No body can decline the effect of the globalisation on the different sectors and different countries. The regional economies have also been influenced by the punch of the globalisation and especially the open economical situation. All the European and American industries are looking for the Asian market such as of China and India for the market as well as cheap labour. One of Lawyer for consumer court has pointed out that the quality of the product due to outsourcing has been compromised and the consumers are being harassed due to these. However, there are few laws present in India to ensure the rights of the consumer. The primary one is the Consumer protection Act 1986.

The Act ensures that the consumer must be aware of the issues related to the quality, effectiveness, amount, purity, value and the paradigm of the products or the services. The act ensures the right of the consumer against any kind of unfair trade practicing. Even if the organisation operates in a monopoly also still the rights of the consumers are protected through the consumer’s right. Thus, the law keep the manufactures to ensure the quality of the product before the government or the legal institutions get involved in this.  

Mostly the Consumer protection Act 1986, addresses the following issues:

·         To protect the right of the consumers from all kind of perilous good and services

·         To be informed about the performance of the goods or the service

·         To protect the right to choose freely

·         To be get heard by the seller during the process of decision making

·         To seek Redressal if the consumers’ right is infringed

·         To have the proper consumer Education

 

It is the right of the consumer to remain informed about the product or the services that he or she intends to buy. In addition to the Consumer protection Act 1986, Weights, Standards & Measures Act is also present which ensures that the customer must get the product of the right weight and standard that is mentioned by the seller. It is right of the customers that they can take the help of the lawyers in case they feel that they are being cheated. In addition, the consumer must be aware of the hazards that a product can cause to him or the family. At any condition, the consumer cannot be forced to buy a product or service as the law protects the right of choosing the product or the service freely.

It has been seen that the consumers are largely denied of the rights that are reserved for them especially in the open economies like India. Often the sellers exploit the buyers by taking unfair trade practices as most of the buyers are not sincerely aware of the rights as the consumer. Thus, it is important for the buyers also to know about the rights that they have in relation with the buying and selling. There are several countries where the degree of the fair practice of the consumer protection is regarded as one of the parameter of the country’s progress. Even if the company is not originated in India, still the consumer can file the case against the company under the Consumer protection Act 1986. Thus however, India is an open economy the laws are there to protect the rights of the general consumers.

The consumer protection law in India is a safeguard for the Indian citizens against any kind of false advertisements shown by the advertising authorities. If it has been found that the organisation has misled the people through the false information in their advertisement, legal consequences can be happen due to that also under consumer protection act. In order to defend the privileges of the consumers, Ministry of consumer Affairs of Government of India has built-in the department of Consumer affairs. The department redress the grievance of the people in three different layers depending on the purchase value.

The main problem is not related regarding the presence of law but about the implementation of the laws. Thus, it is needed that the government must look into that the laws are implemented successfully in order to protect the rights of the consumers. In case you are facing any problem regarding a product or service you must go to the consumer court to get the justice, as it is your right.