In today’s scenario it’s quite essential that we should be always aware of our rights and duties. But sometimes we take things for granted and forget that this casual or so called sophisticated behaviour may affect us in long term. Have you ever noticed that some package consumer goods never have an MRP (Max Retail Price) on them? One such item is the most commonly used cosmetics.

Lately while buying some cosmetics I noticed in almost all the popular brands kept in the malls do not have MRP printed on them. I have noticed it quite often that people forget to check the MRP and few basics about a product. Under the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, manufacturers must specify on all pre-packed goods meant for retail sale, the MRP inclusive of all taxes. This is a requirement meant to ensure that consumers are not misled by the agent/dealer and shopkeeper about the price of packed goods. Overcharging is an offence for which the trader can be prosecuted and prosecution can be launched against the manufacturer in case the packaged commodities bear the price which is altered.

It’s been found that the manufacturers increase the price of products and the retailers or the shopkeepers sell old stock/product on new price rates. The simple explanation that the retailer or the shopkeeper gives is that the Price has increased because of the changes in duties or increase in the cost of production and the new packages carry the revised MRP. It’s to be noted that the new price is always for the fresh/new stock and not applicable for the stock that’s already there with the retailer or the old stock. This is where retailers try to make a quick buck by trying to sell the old stock at the new revised rate, even though doing so is an unfair trade practice and we because of our hypocrisy get so easily cheated.

Since each one of us is a consumer we should be aware of a few basic things when we buy something.

Under the Weights and Measures (packaged commodities) Rules, all packed goods should carry certain essential information on the contents of the package, such as;

1. its weight or volume,
2. the name,
3. address of the manufacturer,
4. the date of manufacture, and and in case of food packages, the best before date, and
5. the maximum retail price (MRP)

A coin always has two sides and since we know our rights we will have to be conscious of our duties and responsibilities as well. Some of the responsibilities that we owe as consumers are:

1. Obtain full information regarding quality and price before making any purchases.
2. Be careful, about false and /or misleading advertisement.
3. Purchase goods having quality marks like ISI/Agmark etc. as and where available, for safety and quality.
4. Obtain proper receipt/cash memo for purchases made and guarantee/warranty card duly stamped and signed by the seller, wherever applicable.
5. Approach Consumer Forum for redressal of consumer grievances against sale of defective goods or deficient services or adoption of unfair restrictive trade practices.

As consumers we should always be careful and aware of the changes happening with relation to the products and their prices. Prevention is always better than cure. So before we head to market to buy things we need to take certain precautions, like;

1. Purchase only when you need and do not purchase in a hurry.
2. Do not buy blindly. Demand full information before you buy.
3. Beware of false/misleading advertisements.
4. Do not compromise on the quality of goods and services and its quality. Purchase only quality products.
5. Do not forget to obtain proper receipt/cash memo. Always obtain the guarantee/warranty card duly stamped and signed by the shopkeeper, wherever necessary. These can be helpful in consumer courts.

It’s only when we are aware of our own rights others will perform their duties towards us.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Eclairs pack without MRP

With inflation at 12.40% the market for few of criminal activities has opened up four fold. One of the major criminal activities that not only has spread silently but also affects our economy. Counterfeit currency is another genus of terrorism unleashed by anti-nationals & the terrorists to jeopardize the economy of the country.

The fake notes have become so very common that you may land up collecting them form the ATM’s as well. Recently from a bank’s currency chest fake notes have been seized. The quantum of currency note officially seized is not more than Rs 5 lakh in value, but modus operandi of this conspiracy, which is having enough potential to disrupt our already derailed economy, is no-doubt a matter of concern. One of the ways to control inflationary pressure is to unearth the prevalence of fake currency and black money in the economy & eradicate their circulation.

The law is lax on the circulators of fake currency. Anyone in possession of fake currency is targeted as an offender. If one submits the fake currency for remittance in the bank he is hauled up. The bankers are duty bound to report the matter to their Head Offices or controlling offices. To avoid the enquiry most of the customers allow the banker to deface the notes or burn the currency. Whenever we come across any counterfeit note, it’s our duty to report it to the police & make sure instead of them being destroyed; those notes are sent to RBI. Also, the banks have the duty to report the police about any counterfeit notes received by them. As per RBI notification no bank ATM should dispense fake notes & the customer’s complaint must be registered with RBI &. However, in practice, Banks silently destroy the note and suggest that the customer forget the incident to avoid any kind of harassment by the police. It’s actually Bank’s responsibility to reply the customer if fake notes are delivered to the customer via the ATM’s or in the counter therein.

Next time around please check your 500 & 1000 bucks carefully. Even incases of ATM withdrawal get it re-confirmed by your banker immediately. Few of the things to check in a note are:

There are few things you can check:

• When a note is held bright light in the watermark window (the enclosure right above the Ashoka Pillar emblem), a Gandhi portrait will zoom into focus. Look closely at the finely-etched multi-directional lines, and at the expression on Gandhi’s face…. In a fake note, because there are no lines and no shading, it will look like a caricature.
• The serial number on top will be slightly smaller on fake notes.
• The quality of paper will be a little thicker.
• There is a small floral design on the front (hollow) and back (filled-up) of the note. It is in the middle of the vertical band to the left of the watermark. When held up against light, it appears as one design. In a fake note, the design distorts since the printing machine can only print one side at a time. So, two designs are visible instead of one.
• In an Rs 500 note, circle-shaped marks in intaglio on the left of the watermark window helps the visually impaired identify the denomination. The shape varies with the denomination: Rs 20, vertical rectangle; Rs 50, square; Rs 100, triangle; Rs 1000, diamond. This feature can be imitated, but in a poor fake, the shape of the mark could be wrong.
• Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait, the RBI seal, the guarantee and promise clause, the Ashoka Pillar Emblem on the left and the RBI Governor’s signature are all printed in intaglio, that is, raised print which can be felt by running finger gently over note.
• A readable security thread lies to the left of the Mahatma’s portrait. On the obverse, it’s discontinuous with the inscriptions ‘Bharat’ (in Hindi), and ‘RBI’.
• On the reverse, it’s fully embedded with the two inscriptions appearing alternately. In a fake, the thread stands out unevenly on the obverse and on the reverse, the colour is blackish.
• The numeral 500 on the obverse is in colour-shifting ink. The numeral appears green when the note is held flat but changes to blue when the note is tilted. Notes issued before November 2000 don’t have this feature. In fake notes, the numeral’s colour will be pale and uniform.
• Place the note under a ultra-violet lamp and optical fibers and fluorescent number panels can be seen. The security thread too fluoresces (in blue) on the visible portion from obverse and as a continuous line from reverse. A fake note will glow blue uniformly; in an original, only the number panels and silver security line will glow.

  Reason: genuine notes are made of cotton pulp; fakes, made of wood pulp or paper, don’t lend themselves to differential fluorescence.

• Best seen under a magnifying glass, this feature appears between the vertical band and Mahatma Gandhi portrait. It contains the words ‘RBI’ and ‘500’ in micro letters. Rule of thumb: check for ‘500 RBI’ just behind Gandhiji’s ears. If it’s not there, the note is surely a fake.
• The vertical band on the right side of the Mahatma Gandhi portrait contains a latent image of the denomination in numeral. The image is visible when the note is held up at eye level and horizontally against light. In a real note, the numeral will show up clearly against the light whereas in fake, it will appear as a shadow, diffused and vague.

It’s our duty to be alert & aware. It helps not only us from being cheated but also helps us prevent ECONOMIC TERRORISM.

It surprises me quite a lot to know that despite certain notifications we can actually negate them absolutely. Standing at the grocery shop it was surprising for me to notice that every customer was given a toffee of 50paise. I kept wondering about the grocery shop owner’s generosity. When I had my turn to pay for the grocery I bought, that I realized it was not his generosity but a better way for him to ask us to spend extra. He gave a toffee instead 50paise to me as well instead of refunding me back my 50paise. Since I am not very fond of toffee I offered him a 50paise & wanted to get back my balance. Instead he refused to accept the 50paise. Its not matter of 50paise that did put me off, but what he told me was rather upsetting “Madam where have you been living these days. 50paise is no more in use, in Delhi, as a matter of fact no where in India”. I knew arguing with the person was of no use but I had to tell him that it’s still very much part of Indian currency, as per the notification by the RBI. It was really difficult to make him understand but thanks to my stars I was successful in convincing him.

If for every Rs 50 I am refunded a toffee (of no value to me) or not at all refunded then my budget is surely going to move upside down. If for every Rs100/-, I am not refunded 50paise, in an average I will land up spending Rs 10 extra for every Rs 1000/- & Rs 100/- for every Rs 10,000/-. It means at-least 2 ltrs of petrol to me. More than anything else it’s about my hard earned money & my rights. Reserve bank of India in 2007 has instructed all the banks not to refuse to accept coins of small denominations. If banks are accepting the smaller denomination coins why are we being refused to be refunded those smaller denomination coins in our daily life? The coins as per RBI that are in use are of denominations 50paise, Re 1, Rs 2, & Rs 5.

The question I would like to ask here before I end is: Are they (those who do not accept or return 50paisa) willing to give us a discount of that amount instead of asking us to pay us extra? Will they accept if we barter with them a toffee of value 50paisa instead of paying them extra? Are they ready to suffer that loss instead of consumer suffering that loss?