Question
How are Consumers Exploited?

Answer

Consumers are people who have the purchasing power to buy goods and services to fulfill their wants but they are exploited in many ways:
$1.$ Under weight or under measurement:
  • The customers make the full payment for the goods but they do not get the correct weight.
  • The balances are tampered with.
$2.$ Goods or services of sub-standard quality:
  • Consumers are given low quality goods by adulteration or selling after expiry dates.
$3.$ Overpricing:
  • Producers exploit consumers by charging prices higher than the printed one or the decided retail prices.
$4.$ Articles harmful to health:
  • Many food items are adulterated and they become harmful to the customers health like adulterated edible oil and ghee.
$5. $ Unsatisfactory after sale services:
  • The producer or trader does not provide after sales service for purchase of durable equipment like car, fridge, etc.
$6.$ Sale not in accordance with pre-determined conditions:
  • Sometimes the producers do not provide the customer with goods and services as per pre-determined conditions or written agreement.
  • For E.g. Most of the builders exploit consumers by not providing them the flat or office they had booked or not giving them the facility already decided upon.
$7.$ Defects in service sector:
  • Corporations and institutions don’t provide proper and continuous services like drinking water, electricity, cooking gas, medical facilities, etc.
$8.$ Rough behaviour with consumers:
  • The producer or trader may insult or misbehave with consumers. For e.g. They may harass a consumer while giving a gas connection.
$9.$ Cheating in choice:
  • Consumers are influenced by attractive advertisements and end up buying goods without correct information and repent later for their wrong choice.
$10.$ Faulty equipment:
  • Electrical or electronic items are sometimes made without taking into consideration the safety of the consumers. For e.g. A consumer may get a shock from an electric geyser and die.
$11.$ Artificial Scarcity:
  • Sometimes traders hoard goods, create artificial scarcity and exploit the consumers in order to profiteer.
$12.$ Incomplete or insufficient information:
  • Consumers are given incomplete or insufficient information regarding things like price, quality, method of use, etc.

Need a full question paper?

Generate a complete, print-ready paper with questions like this in minutes — across 16+ boards, with answer keys.

Start Generating Free