Being An Effective Consumer

Question 1

What is a consumer?

Answer 1

Someone who buys a product or uses a service in either the public or the private sector.

Question 2

What is the private sector? Give examples.

Answer 2

A private sector service is owned by one owner e.g. a hairdressers, driving instructor or piano teacher.

Question 3

What is the public sector? Give examples.

Answer 3

A public sector service is owned by the government e.g. the NHS, schools, dentists or bin men.

Question 4

Name some of the factors that affect the choices we make in our roles as consumers.

Answer 4

> age
> needs
> wants
> personality
> financial capability

Question 5

What are some of the rights of consumers?

Answer 5

> the right to information which is clear, reliable and available in alternate languages and forms
the right to fair treatment
the right of access to services which are inclusive, user-friendly, easily understood and welcoming
the right to choice to compare and choose the best deal for their need
the right to redress. Support is given for consumers who need to make a complaint
the right to representation,to be consulted and heard

Question 6

What are some of the responsibilities as consumers?

Answer 6

> the responsibility to read information carefully (small print)
the responsibility to know your consumer rights
the responsibility to complain effectively
the responsibility to be an ethical and environmentally aware consumer
the responsibility to manage and budget money wisely and avoid unnecessary wasteful buying
the responsibility to claim reasonable compensation if things go wrong

Question 7

What barriers may prevent individuals from being effective consumers?

Answer 7

~ disability (physical and learning)
~ age (younger and older)
~ ethnicity (language and culture)
~ knowledge (education, numeracy, literacy)
~ resources (location [rural or urban], time, finance, energy)

Question 8

Give examples of barriers the disabled may face preventing them from being effective consumers.

Answer 8

> physical access to goods in shops may be limited
some workers may not take you seriously
some people aren’t able to make informed decisions
if you’re blind, Braille may not be available and you do not know what you’re buying
people with learning difficulties find budgeting hard and don’t know how to complain
may need assistance to reach high-up products
wheelchair users may find the shop hard to manoeuvre through or get into

Question 9

What barriers may age bring that prevents people from being effective consumers.

Answer 9

• younger people may not know how to complain effectively
• may not have access to shops if they can’t drive
• younger people asked to leave school bags at door
• older people may not be as physically active and can’t carry as much shopping
• elderly people may be ripped off as they can’t read small print
• elderly people may be living on a pension and won’t be able to spend as much money
• a lack of computer/the internet may mean paying more for goods and services
• students aren’t able to afford high quality brands

Question 10

How may ethnicity prevent people being effective consumers?

Answer 10

~ white people may be prioritised to those of other skin types
~ language barriers may make reading labels/signs/asking for advice difficult
~ if English isn’t your first language you may feel like you can’t complain
~ currency may be a barrier
~ some brands (e.g. cosmetic brands) may not cater for all skin tones
~ you may not be able to get food from your original culture

Question 11

How may knowledge prevent people from being effective consumers?

Answer 11

~ poor numeracy skills can make the household budget difficult to manage
~ people can make uniformed decisions (don’t know what they’re agreeing to)
~ people may not be able to work out value and pricing due to lack of knowledge
~ not knowing how to complain effectively (who to complain to or how)
~ lack of IT skills means you can’t get bargains online
~ you may not know the difference between best before and use by dates
~ people mightn’t know to read small print
~ people may not know what to buy that best suits their diet
~ you don’t know what rights you’re entitled to

Question 12

How may resources affect you from being an effective consumer?

Answer 12

> no time or energy to shop around and get affordable prices
the less money you have, the worse quality or not as nutritionally valuable food you can afford
lack of access to certain shops due to distance
some people would prefer spending more money to save time
if you don’t have that much money you can’t buy products that best fir your needs
if you have less time you wouldn’t have time to use your rights
if you don’t have Internet access you can’t take advantage of bargains
some people may not have the means of travel

Question 13

What does the Consumer Protection Regulations 2000 state?

Answer 13

When you shop on the internet, TV, telephone or from a catalogue or magazine consumers are entitled to the clear information before they order about:

• the supplier’s name/address
• the cost of the goods
• delivery costs and arrangements
• how to pay
• how to cancel

Certain items such as perishable goods and personalised goods cannot be returned. Also, if a consumer has bought a service, it cannot be cancelled once it has started (e.g. Netflix, Spotify, a phone contract)