CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND CUSTOMER CARE
Duration: 3 hrs. Marks: 100
Lectures: 65
Objective: This paper seeks to familiarize the students with of their rights as a consumer, the social
framework of consumer rights and legal framework of protecting consumer rights. It also provides an
understanding of the procedure of redress of consumer complaints, and the role of different agencies
in establishing product and service standards. The student should be able to comprehend the business
firms’ interface with consumers and the consumer related regulatory and business environment.
Unit 1: Conceptual Framework (13
lectures)
Consumer and Markets: Concept of Consumer and markets, Concept of Price in Retail and
Wholesale, Maximum Retail Price (MRP) and Local Taxes, Fair Price, labelling and
packaging
Experiencing and Voicing Dissatisfaction: Consumer Satisfaction/dissatisfaction-Grievances-
complaint, Consumer Complaining Behaviour: Strategies to address Dissatisfied Consumers;
Internal and External Complaint handling: Corporate Redressal and Public Redressal Mechanisms
Unit 2: The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (CPA) (26
lectures)
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986: Objectives and Provisions
Organizational set-up under the Consumer Protection Act: Advisory Bodies: Consumer
Protection Councils at the Central, State and District Levels, Basic Consumer
Rights; Adjudicatory Bodies: District Forums, State Commissions, National Commission:
Their Composition, Powers, and Jurisdiction (Pecuniary and Territorial),
Grievance Redressal Mechanism under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986: Who can file a
complaint? ; Grounds of filing a complaint; Limitation period; Procedure for filing and hearing of
a complaint; Disposal of cases; Relief/Remedy to be provided; Temporary Injunction;
Enforcement of order; Appeal, frivolous and vexatious complaints; Offences and penalties.
Remedies under Consumer Protection Act (with reference to leading case laws): Medical
Negligence; Banking; Insurance; Housing & Real Estate; Electricity, Water, and Telecom
Services; Education; Defective Product; Unfair Trade Practice.
Unit 3: Industry Regulators and Consumer Complaint Redressal Mechanism (13
lectures)
Banking: RBI and Banking Ombudsman
Insurance: IRDA and Insurance Ombudsman
Telecommunication: TRAI
Food Products: FSSAI (an overview)
Advertising: ASCI
Unit 4: Consumer Protection in India (13
Lectures)
Consumer Movement in India: Evolution of Consumer Movement in India. Formation of
consumer organizations and their role in consumer protection, Recent developments in Consumer
Protection in India, National Consumer Helpline, Citizens Charter
Quality and Standardization: Voluntary and Mandatory standards; Role of BIS, Indian
Standards Mark (ISI), Ag-mark, Hallmarking, Licensing and Surveillance; ISO: An overview
Suggested Readings:
1. Khanna, Sri Ram, Savita Hanspal, Sheetal Kapoor, and H.K. Awasthi. Consumer Affairs” (2007)
Delhi University Publication; pp. 334/
2. Aggarwal, V. K. (2003). Consumer Protection: Law and Practice. 5th Ed. Bharat Law House,
Delhi, or latest edition.
3. Girimaji, Pushpa (2002). Consumer Right for Everyone Penguin Books.
4. Nader, Ralph (1973). The Consumer and Corporate Accountability. USA, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc.
5. Sharma, Deepa (2011).Consumer Protection and Grievance-Redress in India: A Study of
Insurance Industry (LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing GmbH & Co.KG,
Saarbrucken, Germany; pp.263 pp.
6. Empowering Consumers e-book, www.consumeraffairs.nic.in
7. EBook www.bis.org
8. The Consumer Protection Act, 1986
Suggested Articles
1. Verma, D. P. S. (2002). Developments in Consumer Protection in India. Journal of Consumer
Policy. Vol. 25. No. pp 107 –123.
2. Verma, D.P.S. (2002). Regulating Misleading Advertisements, Legal Provisions and Institutional
Framework. Vikalpa. Vol. 26. No. 2. pp. 51-57.
3. Ralph L. Day and Laird E. Landon, Jr. (1997). Towards a Theory of Consumer Complaining
Behaviour. Ag Woodside, et al. (Eds.). Consumer and Industrial Buying Behaviour. New York;
North Holland pp. 425-37.
4. George, S. Day and A. Aaker (1970). A Guide to consumerism. Journal of Marketing. Vol. 34. pp
12-19.
5. Sharma, Deepa (2003).New measures for Consumer Protection in India. The Indian Journal of
Commerce. Vol.56. No.4. pp. 96-106
6. Sharma, Deepa (2011).Consumer Grievance Redress by Insurance Ombudsman.
BIMAQUEST.Vol.11. pp.29-47.
Periodicals
1. Consumer Protection Judgments (CPJ) (Relevant cases reported in various issues)
2. Recent issues of magazines: Insight, published by CERC, Ahmedabad ‘Consumer Voice’,
Published by VOICE Society, New Delhi.
3. UpbhoktaJagran, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt, of India, New Delhi
Websites:
www.ncdrc.nic.in; www.fcamin.nic.in; www.consumeraffairs.nic.in; www.iso.org.in; www.bis.org;
www.ascionline.org.in; www.trai.gov.in; www.irda.gov.in; www.derc.gov.in; www.rbi.org.in;
www.fssai.gov.in; www.consumer-voice.org; www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in; www.cci.gov.in
Note: The Latest edition of textbooks and Acts should be used.
