Consumer Protection Act, 2019: All you need to know

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into force on Monday,July 20,  replacing the more than three-decade old Consumer Protection Act 1986.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019,  is a law to protect the interests of the consumers. This act aims at resolving a large number of pending consumer complaints in consumer courts across the country

The 2019 Act has brought in some major changes and provides for more protection to the consumers. The Act expands the scope of the definition of Consumer so as to include the consumers involved in online transactions and it now squarely covers the E-commerce businesses.

E-commerce platforms will now have to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint within 48 hours and redress the complaint within a month from the date of receipt.

Also, the Bill  foresees simplified dispute resolution process.   The Consumer will be able to file cases in the nearest commission under the jurisdiction of which he resides. Consumers can file complaints from anywhere and they do not need to hire lawyer to represent their cases.

Manufactures will be jailed for misleading advertisements and he will be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product

Although there is no provision for jail for celebrities, they could be banned for endorsing products if it is found to be misleading.

The Act  also encourages consumers to e-file complaints.