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THE other day a friend complained bitterly about her malfunctioning laptop. Even as she was talking, I googled the model number, and sure enough, the search showed that the particular model had a manufacturing defect. There were at least a dozen similar complaints from consumers about that particular model. "Contact all these people and file a class action suit," I told my friend. I do not know how many consumers have realised the power of the worldwide web. Today it can bring complainants together to fight for a cause; it can help clients exchange crucial information about products and services; it can facilitate informed choice. The Internet has in fact empowered clients like never before. It has given them a platform to air their grievances, express their views, exchange information, and even take up campaigns. Recently, a person told me how he had dashed off e-mails to 200 people on his mailing list about a brand that had given abysmally poor after sales service. Even if 10 people decide against buying this brand after reading my letter, I would be more than satisfied, he said. I wonder whether manufacturers and service providers have realised the Internet-consumer revolution that is slowly building up around the country? Whether buying a product or a service, all that a consumer needs to do is to go on the worldwideweb and search for complaints about the product or the service. Sometime ago, a client told me about an online store that had defrauded him. Curious, I searched for the online shop and sure enough, there were a number of consumer complaints on how the shop delivered goods that had no resemblance whatsoever to the product advertised. If only the consumer had been careful before parting with the money, he would have stayed away from that store. In fact when people write about the problems that they encountered with products and services, they are not just giving vent to their anger and frustration; they are helping others make an informed choice. Sometime ago, a consumer, who had a bad experience with a timeshare company, said she was shocked at the number of complaints about the company. "If only I had checked out the company before writing out my cheque, I would have saved myself the agony that I went through," was her comment. Orders of the courts, particularly the district forums, which are now available on the website, www.consumercom.nic.in, are also very useful in identifying companies that violate consumer rights and are anti-consumer. Similarly, there are other websites that help people stay away from bad businesses. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) websites, for example, can be very helpful while purchasing goods manufactured by multinational companies. Financed by the private business sector in North Amercia, the BBBs are non-profit public service organisations that help people resolve their complaints with businesses through mediation and arbitration. Equally important, they facilitate informed consumer choice through rating of companies on the basis of a number of parameters, including the company’s response to complaints and the efforts by the BBB to resolve these. The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs-supported Consumer Online Resource and Empowerment Centre (CORE) is another site that lists out businesses that are not consumer-friendly and have not responded to complaints. The list gives the number and the nature of complaints against each listed brand, but I wish the list would scroll down a little slowly. There are also websites
of consumer groups like VOICE and CERC that give product reviews and
results of comparative testing of products. So whether you are buying
goods or services, always make it a habit to go on the Internet and
find out everything about the company that you will be dealing with.
If you do not have a computer or an Internet connection at home, do
not worry. There are any number of cyber cafes where you can surf. So
look at complaints, independent product reviews and comments. That’s
when you will get the real picture. And if you have had a bad deal,
write about it, share it with others, help them identify companies
that do not respect clients, and their rights. Remember, the Internet
is a very powerful tool in your hands. Use it and use it wisely for
the empowerment of consumers.
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