World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually by consumer organizations worldwide. It commemorates the historic declaration on March 15, 1962 by John F. Kennedy, the former U.S. President, of the basic Rights of consumers, which include: "the right to safety", to be protected against hazardous goods; "the right to be informed", so that consumer decisions are not influenced by fraudulent or misleading advertising or labeling or other deceptive practices; "the right to choose"— from a variety of competitive products and services; and "the right to be heard", to assure that government policy will always take into consideration consumer interests.

 

This declaration has led to international recognition by governments and the United Nations that all citizens, regardless of their incomes or social standing, have certain basic Rights as consumers. Officially, World Consumer Rights Day, valued as a socioeconomic progress indicator, was first observed on March 15，1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action, with recognition of consumer rights taking off around the world. On April 9，1985, the United Nations Assembly General Assembly adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection that provide a framework for strengthening national consumer protection policies around the world.

 

The guidelines comprised Kennedy's four basic consumer rights plus another four that Consumers International and other organizations had lobbied for: the right to satisfaction of basic needs such as essential goods and services, food, clothing, shelter and health care; the right to redress such as compensation for misrepresentation, faulty goods and unsatisfactory services; the right to education; and the right to a healthy environment. Currently, eight fundamental consumer rights are recognized globally.

 

World Consumer Rights Day normally has a theme associated with an activity or development that is relevant to consumers. Whatever their objectives, they share the same underlying aim of bringing about important and needed benefits for consumers.

 

World Consumer Rights Day 2005 will see consumer groups worldwide take action on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in crops and foods and how they limit the choices of farmers and consumers. The campaign will see consumer groups taking action to demand that governments follow international safety standards, enact labeling legislation and put into place liability agreements against potential damage caused by GMOs.

 

In recent years, progress has been made for recognition and protection of consumer rights in China. At least, March 15 is a day when consumers are filled with pride and satisfaction. However, there are many reports on violation of consumer rights by unethical marketing practices, like fraud, puffing and monopoly. Telecom operators, property developers and banks are still main producers of "take-it-or-leave-it contract" containing arbitrary clauses. When consumers sign such contracts for credit cards, bank loans, mortgages or telecom services, etc., language in the fine print often waives their rights to employ the full extent of the law should the service providers violate the contract. Even when a consumer feels completely violated after getting a lemon, they will be totally surprised that there's small print in there that doesn't allow them to go to court and the only sentence for the victim is that: "Had I known that arbitration clause existed in the contract, I would not have signed it!" 

 

                    About World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movements. But more importantly it is a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.
World Consumer Rights Day has its origins in former US President John F. Kennedy's declaration of four basic consumer rights:

-the right to safety
-the right to be informed
-the right to choose
-the right to be heard.
To these, the consumer movement through Consumers International has in recent years added four more rights:
-the right to satisfaction of basic needs
-the right to redress
-the right to education
-the right to a healthy environment.

Together these eight rights form the basis for ongoing work by Consumers International and consumer groups worldwide.

The Guidelines embrace the principle of the eight consumer rights and provide a framework for strengthening national consumer protection polices.

With the UN's adoption of the Guidelines, consumer rights were finally elevated to a position of international recognition and legitimacy, acknowledged by developed and developing countries alike. Yet they can continue to be ignored or trivialised by governments, producers and powerful interests. World Consumer Right Day draws attention to such violations, and provides a platform for consumer groups to address them in the countries where they operate.

How is World Consumer Rights Day Observed?

World Consumer Rights Day depends on local initiatives, planned and carried out by consumer organisations on every continent. Initiatives can take the shape of special campaigns, press conferences, public exhibitions, workshops, street events or new publications, to name only a few possibilities.[page]

       国际消费都权益保护日相关知识：

       1983年，国际消费者联盟组织确定每年的3月15日为“国际消费者权益日”。这是基于美国前总统约翰·肯尼迪于1962年3月15日在美国国会发表《关于保护消费者利益的总统特别咨文》，首次提出了著名的消费者的“四项权利”，即：有权获得安全保障；有权获得正确资料；有权自由决定选择；有权提出消费意见。肯尼迪提出的这四项权利，以后逐渐为世界各国消费者组织所公认，并作为最基本的工作目标。 
　　选择这一天作为“国际消费者权益日”，也是为了扩大宣传，促进国际范围内保护消费者的活动。 
　　消费者权益保护运动起源于欧洲，兴起于第二次世界大战后各发达资本主义国家，至今已有一百多年的历史。二战后，各消费者组织便应运而生，并迅速扩展到发展中国家。1960年，成立了国际消费者联盟组织(简称CI)。 
　　现在，全世界共有90多个国家的300多个消费者组织加入了CI。同时，世界性的保护消费者活动也受到了联合国组织的重视。国际消联的代表已成为联合国经社理事会、工业发展组织、粮食组织和贸发会议等机构中的顾问和联络员，代表消费者的利益，参加有关会议和政策的制定工作。1985年4月9日，第39届联合国大会一致通过了一致通过了《保护消费者准则》。大大促进了世界各国制定并实施《消费者权益保护法》工作，使全球消费者保护运动进入了一个更加蓬勃发展的阶段。 
　　各国面面观 
　　日本是较早通过系统立法保护消费者权益的国家之一。1968年日本颁布的《保护消费者权益基本法》对消费者的自我保护、防止哄抬物价和抑制通货膨胀等方面作了详细的规定。 
　　印度也早已制定和实施了《生活必需品法》、《打击伪劣食品法》、《药品法》和《商品重量法》等一系对法规。印度中央、邦和县三级政府还成立了处理消费者投诉的专门委员会。 
　　澳大利亚政府建立了一套政府、企业和消费者共同维护市场秩序的体系。与保护消费者权益有关的法律有《贸易准则法》、《版权法》、《商标法》和《价格监督法》等。 
　　美国消费者联盟于1936年成立，现拥有工作人员258名。设有三个倡议办公室，代表消费者在立法、司法、制定规章方面提出意见。 
　　中国消费者协会于1987年9月加入国际消费者联盟组织后，每年的3月15日“国际消费者权益日”，也都组织全国各地的消费者举办大规模的“国际消费者权益日”宣传咨询服务活动。为了扩大对消费者权益保护的宣传，使之在世界范围内得到重视，促进国家、地区消费者组织之间的合作和交往，更好地开展保护消费者权益工作，国际消费者联盟组织于1983年确定每年3月15日为 ”国际消费者权益日”。

       从1983年以来，每年的3月15日世界各国的消费者组织都要举行大规模活动，通过各种形式，利用各种宣传媒体集中宣传消费者的权利、消费者组织的义务，显示消费者的强大力量。

       我国从1987年9月加入国际消联以后，在1988年正式提出以纪念315为主题，在这之前86、87年3月15日都曾举行过，但那时候没有明确提出来纪念。直到近年，消费者法律意识的不断增强，才让这个节日在中国真正的浮出水面。

《消费者权益保护法》：消费者怎样投诉 

       为了强化和规范受理消费者投诉工作，有效地调解消费者和经营者之间发生的消费者权益争议，切实履行消费者协会(委员会，以下简称消协)对商品和服务进行社会监督，保护消费者合法权益的社会职能，根据《中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法》以下简称《消法》和其他有关的法律、法规，制定本规定。 

　　受理投诉原则 

　(一)、消协依法受理消费者的投诉，对投诉事项进行调查、调解。 

　　(二)、调解以双方自愿、合法、合理、公正为基础;调解以事实和证据为依据。 

　　消费者投诉，有责任提供证据，证明购买、使用商品或接受服务与所受损害存在因果关系。 

　　造成损害产品的质量缺陷或服务中存在的具体损害原因，不应当强求消费者举证。 

　　(三)、按地域管辖责任分工受理。 

　　(四)、受理投诉要严肃认真，接待消费者要诚恳热情，做到件件有回音，事事有着落，努力遵守受理投诉的时间要求，全心全意为消费者服务。 

　　(五)、受理消费者投诉，一般应坚持无偿服务的原则。 

　　(六)、坚持舆论监督，通过大众传播媒介定期或不定期公布消费者投诉情况，凡公开点名曝光的必须慎重，要以消费者投诉事实或必要的调查、鉴定材料为依据，要有必要的组织审批手续。必要时，可以事先反馈给被批评者按一定手续进行核实。 

　　受理投诉范围 

　　(一)下列投诉应予受理: 

　　1.根据《消法》关于"消费者的权利"的九项规定，受理消费者受到损害的投诉。 

　　2.根据《消法》关于"经营者的义务"的十项规定，受理消费者对经营者末履行法定义务的投诉。 

　　3.受理农民购买、使用直接用于农业生产的种子、化肥、农药、农膜、农机具等生产资料其权益受到损害的投诉。 

　　(二)下列情形酌情受理: 

　　1、遇到《消法》第三十六、三十七、三十八、三十九条所列情况，投诉人当时不能提 

　　供明确的被投诉方的，应积极协助消费者查找应负责任者，能够确定的，应予受理。 

　　2、对因商品缺陷造成人身、财产损害的侵权问题投诉，可告知投诉者保留现场和证 

　　据，及早向人民法院提起诉讼。投诉的消费者坚持要求消协调解的，可参照《中华人民共和 

　　国民事诉讼法》有关规定进行。 

　　3、按投诉内容和有关规定，需由行政部门处理的，建议消费者直接向有关行政部门申 

　　诉。对已向有关行政部门申诉，但久拖不决或只对经营者处罚，未给消费者追偿损失，消费 

　　者又向消协投诉的，消协可以向该行政部门反映、查询并提出建议。 

　　4、地方法规赋予消协其他职责的，按当地通过施行的法规执行。