Consumer protection  

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In regulatory jurisdictions that provide for it (comprising most or all developed countries with free market economies), consumer protection is a group of laws and organisations designed to ensure the rights of consumers as well as fair trade, competition and accurate information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent the businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors. They may also provide additional protection for those most vulnerable in society. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation that aim to protect the rights of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products—particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food.

Consumer protection is linked to the idea of consumer rights and to the formation of consumer organisations, which helps consumers make better choices in the marketplace and get help with consumer complaints. Other organisations that promote consumer protection include government organisations and self-regulating business organisations such as consumer protection agencies and organisations, the Federal Trade Commission in America and Better Business Bureaus in America, Canada, England, etc.

A consumer is defined as someone who acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing.Consumer interests can also be protected by promoting competition in the markets which directly and indirectly serve consumers, consistent with economic efficiency, but this topic is treated in competition law. Consumer protection can also be asserted via non-government organisations and individuals as consumer activism.

See also

Consumer issues

• Airline complaints
• Antitrust
• Better Business Bureau
• Class action
• Competition policy
• Competition regulator
• Consumer complaint
• Consumer organization
• Cooling-off period
• Credit and debt
• Extended warranty
• Fairtrade labelling
• Federal Trade Commission
• Food safety
• List of food labeling regulations
• Mandatory labelling
• Ombudsman
• Online Complaint Management System
• Planned obsolescence
• Product recall
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act
• Transparency (market)
• Unfair competition