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Consumer Awareness

Consumer awareness is about alerting the consumers on his/her rights.

It is a marketing term which describes the characteristics of products or services and marketing 4P’s (place to buy, price, and promotion).

BackgroundIn 1962, a modern declaration about consumer’s rights (consumer movement) was first made in the United States of America.

http://theviewspaper.net/consumer-awareness/

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4 basic consumer rights were recognised.

The right to safety The purchase must be safe for their intended use, testing must be done prior instructions must be included.

The right to be informedThe complete information about a product must be accessible to consumers.

The right to chooseConsumers have a choice of products, offered by different manufacturers and sellers, to satisfy a particular need.

The right to be heardThe forth right means that someone will listen and take appropriate action when costumers complain

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-4-Consumer-Rights&id=316766

CONSUMER

PROTECTION

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Lemon Law

The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act-CPFTA, 2004

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Such laws obligate sellers to repair or replace the defective product within 6 months of delivery.

With effect in 2012, provisions of the Lemon Law was added to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.

(CASE 2004)

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CASE STATISTICS RELEASED FOR THE YEAR 2013

The Association had received a total of 29254 complaints for the year 2013. Out of which, CASE has taken up 1452 cases in the year 2013.

1765

1452

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2012 2013

Filed Cases2280

2093

1950

2000

2050

2100

2150

2200

2250

2300

2012 2013

Assisted Cases

(CASE 2004)

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18%

12%

10%

10%10%

10%

8%

8%

7%

7%

TOP 10 Catergories

Motorcars

Electrical and electronics

Beauty

Handphones

Furniture

Contractors

Timeshare

Telecommunications

Travel

Maid agencies

(CASE 2004)

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(CASE 2004)

CASE STUDY 1 (Handout)

In Jun 2013, Mrs Suainah* purchased a branded brown leather bag worth $510 from a shop. The bag was defective after three months of use as the buckle of the strap was dislodged due to a loosened screw. Mrs Suainah was issued a product exchange form in Oct 2013, stating that the shop would provide an exchange for the bag. However, despite the staffs’ claims that the exchanged bag was new, Mrs Suainah found the buckle of the strap in similar condition as her earlier bag. She requested for a satisfactory repair of the replacement bag, failing which a refund.

Mrs Suainah reported the matter to CASE and the business was informed that they may have infringed upon - CPFTA Section 12A – Lemon Law – Defective Goods. CASE negotiated with the business and they agreed to provide a replacement bag. Mrs Suainah received the replacement bag and deemed it defect free.

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CASE STUDY 2 (Handout)

In Dec 2013, Mr Foo* purchased a used car from the company at $52,000 and paid in full. The vehicle was delivered on one day later. Two months later, the ownership of the vehicle had yet to be transferred to him. Upon research, Mr Foo discovered that the vehicle was not registered with the company. He notified the company and they admitted to neglecting the procedure works. The company gave a further promise to act on the matter within a week but to no avail. Mr Foo requested to expedite the proper transfer of ownership without further delay.

The case was reported and the company was informed that they may have infringed on – CPFTA Section 4(a) - misleading claims, Section 4(b) - false claims and the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) (Motor Vehicle Dealer Deposits) Regulations 2009 – delay in submitting finance. The issue was resolved after the company successfully transferred the vehicle ownership to Mr Foo

(CASE 2004)

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GUIDELINES

CASE Shopping Tips For Consumers

Compare prices.

Do research, especially for high-value items. For electrical goods, research on the products and their functions, what could be the common problems to look out for.

Check goods are in good condition. When buying groceries, check the expiry date of food items and see if the packaging are in good condition

Ask about refunds and replacement policies.

Ensure there is a warranty for electrical goods. Check on their post sales service as well

Keep receipts.

(CASE 2004)

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GUIDELINES

Additional tips: Online shopping

Do research on unknown companies retailing items online

Check that the site has a privacy policy

Ensure that online transactions are secure

For local websites, check for TrustSG or CaseTrust logo for additional assurance

Before you sign a contract

Read carefully the contract and appendices (if any)

Scrutinise the fine prints

Commit all verbal promises to writing (CASE 2004)

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LEMON LAWS FAQs

http://www.case.org.sg/downloads/central/Lemon%20Law%20FAQs.pdf

FOR ASSISTANCE FROM CASEFor general enquiries, you can call hotline at 6100 0315(9am and 5pm WEEDAYS and 9am and 12pm on Saturdays.)

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SHARING

Available at SlideShare.net

Consumer Awareness: Lemon Law in Singapore

CONCLUSION

OBJECTIVE: Create awareness on consumers' interests and promote fair-trading

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BBM-6-CBE CONSUMER BEHAVIOURCONSUMER RESEARCH

STUDENT : LIM LYNNID: 3304052

THANK YOU