Enabling Business, Empowering Consumers

CONSUMER
RIGHTS

Series of 2013
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Empowering Consumers

BILL OF RIGHTS
On 15 March 1962, the late US President John F. Kennedy
gave focus on consumer related issues. The Bill of Rights
was later expanded by the United Nations (UN) into
eight (8) Basic Consumer Rights that we know today –

Right to basic needs, Right to safety, Right to information,

Right to choose, Right to representation, Right to redress,
Right to consumer education & Right to a healthy environment.

These rights, when asserted, protect us from the market abuses

and social injustices which undermine them.
Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers
 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO BASIC NEEDS is the

consumer right that guarantees
survival, adequate food, clothing,
shelter, health care, education and
sanitation.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO DO?
◊ Prioritize your needs
 Enabling Business,
Right to Basic Needs: What to Do…continuation…page 2 Empowering Consumers

◊ Look for quality, not the quantity

◊ Be quality conscious, not brand conscious

 Enabling Business,
Right to Basic Needs: What to Do…continuation…page 3 Empowering Consumers

◊ Do not engage in panic buying

◊ During crisis or calamity, be vigilant in ensuring

that basic commodities are available in the
market and in your home
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Empowering Consumers
 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO SAFETY is the

consumer right to be protected
against the marketing of goods or
provision of services that are
hazardous to health and life.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO DO?
◊ If you are sensitive to some ingredients, read the
labels before using certain products;
◊ Ask someone who knows how to operate the
products you intend to buy, when necessary;
◊ Keep certain products out of children’s reach
◊ Look for Product Certification Marks and other
distinguishing marks.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO CHECK
FOR IN LABELS?
The label may contain the
following:
• “Consumer Before”
• “Expiry Date”
• “Best Before”
• “FDA-Approved”
• “Expires on”
• Caution/Warning Signs
and Symbols
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PRODUCT CERTIFICATION MARKS

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PHILIPPINE
STANDARD (PS)
LICENSE CERTIFICATE

A document issued by the

Bureau of Product Standards
(BPS) attesting that the locally-
manufactured product, which is
covered by a mandatory
Philippine National Standard
(PNS), conforms to its standard.
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IMPORT COMMODITY
CLEARANCE (ICC)
CERTIFICATE

A document issued by the

Bureau of Product Standards
(BPS) attesting that the
imported product, which is
covered by a mandatory
Philippine National Standard
(PNS), conforms to its standard.
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Empowering Consumers
 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO INFORMATION is the

consumer right to be protected against
dishonest or misleading advertising
and labelling, and the right to be given
the facts and information needed to
make an informed choice.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO DO?
◊ Read the label
◊ Ask the concerned agency
◊ Call us at DTI Direct 751-3330 or visit the nearest
DTI office
◊ Before signing warranties or other documents,
read everything especially the fine prints
◊ Look for the name and address of the
manufacturer
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WHAT TO LOOK
FOR IN LABELS?
• Words such as
“External” or “Internal”
• Precautions
• Chemical contents of
the product
• Limitations and expiry
dates
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 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO CHOOSE is the

consumer right to choose
products at competitive prices
with an assurance of satisfactory
quality.
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Empowering Consumers

With the consumer right to choose, a wide array

of goods and services with diverse brands, sizes,
shapes and colors, and with differences in price,
quality, and use are available in the market.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO DO?

◊ Read the labels or manuals of the products

◊ “Generic vs. Branded”
◊ Canvass before buying Tester
◊ If product testers are available, try them.
◊ Be wary of special offers like free items or Buy 2
Take 1
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 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION

is the consumer right to express
consumer interests in the
making and execution of
government policies.
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WHAT TO DO?

◊ Take time to attend public hearings and

consultations
◊ Be observant as to how consumer laws are being
implemented in your area
◊ Propose to legislators policies/laws that will
ensure that the consumers would get the best
value for their hard-earned money
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 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO REDRESS is the

consumer right to be compensated
for misrepresentation, shoddy
goods or unsatisfactory services.
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Empowering Consumers

WHAT TO DO?
◊ Go back to the store and look for the Consumer Welfare
Desk (CWD) to air your complaint
◊ You have the right to 3Rs – Repair then Replace or
Refund (RA 7394 Chapter III Article 68 Item d)
◊ If the store is unresponsive, file your complaint to the
appropriate agency
◊ Be sure to attend the mediation conference
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WHAT ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Under the law, you are entitled to repair, then

replacement or refund if something you bought:
◊ Is faulty or defective and you were not aware of it;
◊ Does not do the job you were led to believe it would do;
◊ Does not match a sample you were shown; or
◊ Was not as described on the box or in an
advertisement.
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BUSINESSES CAN REFUSE TO

GIVE A REFUND IF:
◊ You can’t prove that you bought it (e.g. you
don’t have a receipt)
◊ You changed your mind about it
◊ You have damaged it
◊ You knew or should have known about a
fault when you bought it (e.g. second-hand)
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PROHIBITION ON THE “NO

RETURN, NO EXCHANGE” POLICY
◊ Pursuant to the IRR of RA 7394, or the Consumer Act of the
Philippines, specifically Title III, Chapter I, Rule 2, Section 7 of DAO
No. 2, series 1993, the words “No Return, No Exchange”, or words
to such effect shall not be written into the contract of sale, receipt
or sales transaction, in any document evidencing such sale or
anywhere in the store or business establishment.
◊ The prohibition is aimed to correct the misconception of a lot of
consumers that they do not have the right to return shoddy or
defective goods or demand for remedies in case of defective or
imperfect service because of the “No Return, No Exchange” notice
in the receipts or anywhere in the business establishments.
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 Enabling Business,
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The RIGHT TO CONSUMER EDUCATION

is the consumer right to acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to be an
informed consumer.
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WHAT TO DO?
◊ Read, listen, watch
◊ Involve yourself
◊ Participate in consumer-education activities
◊ Look out for:
- Quad-media campaigns on consumer-related issues
- Seminars, conferences, fora, trainings and public hearings
- Integration of consumer education in schools
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Empowering Consumers
 Enabling Business,
Empowering Consumers

The RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

is the consumer right to live and work in
an environment which is neither
threatening nor dangerous and which
permits a life of dignity and well-being.
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WHAT TO DO?
◊ Practice 3R’s of environmental protection
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
◊ Have an iron hand on polluters and violators
◊ Conduct constant monitoring on natural resources
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Empowering Consumers