CUSTOMER,
WHO IS A CONSUMER?
(Publication Date: January 15, 2007)
The other day,
the interim executive board of the Consumers Association and the newly established Consumer Quality and Standards Association visited Economy and Tourism Minister Enver Öztürk and conveyed consumer complaints and concerns to the Minister.
During the visit, the Consumers Association asked for the phrase “Consumer Protection” to be added to the name “Ministry of Economy and Tourism.”
A well-founded request!
What really caught my attention during the visit was the call for the “Consumer Protection Law,” which was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force in 2003, to be put into effect and implemented in practice. I don’t know the details very well, but as far as I can tell, there is something absurd about the situation: how can such an important law be left in limbo for years?
Anyway, what I really want to discuss today is this: Who is a consumer?
Both among people close to me and in the places I go, I constantly hear complaints about the tradespeople in our country; but it seems to me that we confuse being a customer with being a consumer.
That is why the visit made a few days ago by the Consumers Association to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, which was reported in the press, gave me the opportunity to address a subject I have wanted to write about for a long time.
Before I go on, let’s answer the question: Who is a customer?
Customer: A person who pays a monetary value—a “price”—in return for any product or service they obtain. The responsibility of the person providing the service or product to the customer is limited to the financial aspect, and, particularly in the field of services, it is not even possible to speak of someone as a customer. Moreover, rather than being a group with rights, the customer is a benefactor to the seller. A person who merely shops and spends money has the identity of a customer. Outside the moments of shopping, they have no customer identity.
A consumer, on the other hand, is a person who pays a monetary value, or “price,” in return for any product or service they obtain, but who also benefits from many services and products without paying any price, simply by virtue of being alive. A person does not have to pay for and purchase a product or service in order to assume the identity of a consumer. Receiving services without paying a monetary value in many areas—from the arts and the environment to local and central government—already gives a person the identity of a consumer.
The rights that come with this identity go far beyond customer rights and are universal.
So what are these universal rights?
Universal Consumer Rights:
The right to have basic needs met: Measures taken to meet consumers’ basic biological needs, such as food, drink, clothing and shelter. And even more so, a problem whose urgency and seriousness are continually increasing today: the right to live in a clean environment.
The right to health and safety: Measures taken to protect consumers against risks and dangers encountered during the production, distribution and use of the goods and services they have purchased.
The right to information: Informing consumers about the characteristics and conditions of use of various goods and services, as well as regulations concerning prices, labels and other matters, when they purchase them.
The right to representation, to make one’s voice heard, and to organize: Measures taken to enable consumers to express their thoughts and views on all matters concerning them in public institutions; shape public opinion; exert pressure; claim their rights; and gain the power to become informed and protect themselves.
The right to education: Practices relating to consumer education so that consumers know their rights and responsibilities and can develop sound consumer awareness.
The right to choose: Consumers’ ability to meet their own needs and make choices among various goods and services according to their income level, as well as to unilaterally terminate a contract, etc.
The right to withdraw: The ability to return a purchased item within a specified period without giving any reason and without damaging it, and to unilaterally terminate the contract, etc.
The right to compensation: Remedying the harm suffered by a consumer who has been harmed when purchasing goods and services.
The right to have economic interests protected: All legal, administrative, technical and juridical measures taken to ensure that consumers are not harmed in matters such as advertising, door-to-door sales, credit and installment sales, one-sided contracts, consumer loans, after-sales services and various public services; to provide goods and services on better and more suitable terms; and to prevent consumers from being deceived, harmed or otherwise disadvantaged, and to raise their standard of living.
The right to live in a healthy environment: The provision and creation of clean, adequate air and water; more green spaces; a clean, modern city; and healthy, high-quality infrastructure services, as well as all measures taken against wastefulness.
(Source: www.tuketicidergisi.com)
Politicians who constantly talk about embargoes may not provide you with an environment in which you can exercise these rights, but you should still learn your universal rights thoroughly.
And we have a role to play, too.
We need to be informed as well.
The answer to the question “Who is an informed consumer?” is also important!
Who Is an Informed Consumer?
When purchasing a good or service, they put their basic needs first.
They research whether the goods and services they intend to buy are high-quality, safe, inexpensive and healthy.
They give priority to reliability when choosing among companies.
They know their rights, claim them and defend them.
They are sensitive to the environment. They regard every corner of their country and the world as their own home.
They do not act under the influence of the media and advertising.
They see themselves as the subject, not the object, of consumption.
They oppose every kind of extravagance and waste.
They believe that consumer rights can be established and protected through consumer organization.
No need to say more!
This information sums up what we have to say...
See you on Wednesday... Be respectful in traffic!
Note: I visited the website of the TRNC Consumers Association and applied for membership; let’s see what happens. What caught my attention on the website was that the dates were old. I guess it isn’t being updated! You can also submit a complaint through the website; I recommend visiting it not only to file a complaint but also to get information.
www.tuketicilerdernegi.org
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