Your rights as a consumer

The law supports and protects your economic interests.

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With World Consumer Rights Day celebrated on Saturday, it is time for consumers to pause and remember their rights and what they do and can do to enforce these rights in a world where everyone seems to want your money but not everyone willing to respect your rights as a consumer.

Countries all over the world celebrate World Consumer Rights Day to commemorate 15 March, 1962, the day when then US president John F Kennedy mentioned four basic consumer rights in a speech:

The right to safety;The right to chooseThe right to get information; andThe right to be heard when you complain.

The organisation Consumers International later added four more basic consumer rights:

The right to consumer education;The right to fair compensation;The right to a healthy environment; andThe right to have your basic needs satisfied.

In SA, the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) protects your rights as a consumer since 2011.

The CPA was proclaimed to:

Support and protect your economic interests;Give you better access to better quality information so that you can make better and informed choices;Protect you from goods and services that could harm you; andMake it possible for you to receive compensation if you have a valid complaint.

But that is not all. The CPA also aims to ensure that you are educated on consumer issues and the results of your choices.

When does the CPA apply?

It applies to:

Every transaction in SA that is not specifically excluded;The advertising, marketing and selling of any goods or services; andTransactions in South Africa as well as transactions where the supplier does not make a profit.

Transactions that are not covered by the CPA are usually regulated by another specific Act, such as the Long-term Insurance Act.