CONSUMER RIGHTS PROTECTION IN DIGITAL AGE: A STUDY OF INDIA AND PHILIPPINES

Basanta Kumar
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Basanta Kumar: Utkal University, India

in ABEM Conference Proceedings from Academy of Business and Emerging Markets (ABEM), Canada, currently edited by Satyendra Singh

Abstract: Consumer rights protection movement has gone a long way after the recognition of four fundamental rights of a customer relating to safety, information, choice and grievance redress for the first time in March 1962. In the meantime, the world over most of the countries has enacted their respective laws and policy framework based on the fundamental guidelines issued by the United Nations in April 1985. However, during the last fifteen years, the world economy has witnessed the transformation of the marketplace due to barrier-free trade policy with consumers looking for opportunities of sustainable consumption. The online business has widened the scope of the possibilities for the delighted users. Now the consumers are as powerful as the governments and corporations they interact. They are empowered to challenge unfair, unsafe and unethical business practices. However, the ground reality remains that consumers in most of the developing countries are yet to be delighted customers. Given these, the present study is intended to investigate the strategic development of the consumers’ rights protection in the digital age in India and Philippines through the analysis of their existing laws and exploratory research with 340 respondents using semi-structured questionnaire and SPSS 20. The preliminary results suggest that the current laws are yet to catch up with the digital age. Indian Consumer Protection Bill 2015 aiming at providing better protection to e-consumers among other things is pending before the government. The Philippines enacted E-Commerce Protection Regulation in 2012, but its implementation is yet to be encouraging, and it has joined the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) to protect e-consumers in 2015. Analysis of respondents’ views indicates that almost 72 percent respondents felt cheated in the online marketing process where they had no chance of product and service inspection, and payment through a card. They needed extensive reforms in the existing laws and policy framework.

Keywords: CONSUMER RIGHTS; PROTECTION; DIGITAL AGE; INDIA; PHILIPPINES (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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