The customer is king, may be an old business adage but in the context of Article 46 of the Constitution, it is a truth as consumer rights are guaranteed.
Article 46 gives citizens the right to goods and services of a reasonable quality, accords them the right to information, protection, compensation from any damages and also grants them protection from false advertising.
Businesses have an obligation to uphold consumer rights, meaning that any contrary business practice or policy is null and void. Yet, businesses often breach consumer rights in various ways.
For instance, some businesses sell products sub-standard or harmful products. This practice is unconstitutional within the context of Article 46 of the Constitution.
Others are not transparent about the goods and services they offer. For example, some businesses are not forthcoming when it comes to labelling the contents of their products.
Others have hidden fees when it comes to pricing. All these practices are unconstitutional as they limit a consumer’s right to information about goods and services offered.
Consumers ought to be compensated for any harm caused by using defective goods or services. They ought to be protected from false advertising which occurs when the supplier of goods or services makes false statements to induce a customer to make a purchase.
An ethical business is one that takes steps to uphold the Bill of Rights and this includes upholding consumer rights.
Here are some tips on how a business can uphold Article 46.
Provide good quality goods and services
Businesses should make sure that the products and services they offer are of good standard. In the event a business discovers that its products are sub-standard, then it should withdraw them from the market and destroy them. As a further guarantee of quality, businesses should do regular testing.
Get certification and standards marks
A business can get certification for the goods and services they offer. This provides the consumers with safety guarantees that the products and services they are consuming are of good quality.
Train customer care team
The customer care team ought to respond to customer requests in a legally compliant manner. For example, there ought to be transparency about information on goods and services.
Have a customer dispute resolution mechanism
Aggrieved customers should be able to lodge complaints about defective goods and services. The mechanism ought to include investigations and where applicable compensation. A lot of litigation can be avoided by having proper structures.
Train customers on usage of goods and services
Have user manuals and safety labels and instructions to train consumers in the proper use of goods and services to avoid harm to the consumer from misuse.
Train marketing team
Avoid false advertising by training your sales and marketing team on running advertising campaigns that are truthful.
Customer care policy
Draft a suitable customer care policy that is compliant with the Constitution and consumer protection laws.
