Armenian consumers ignorant of their rights

PanARMENIAN.Net - The entire civilized world will be marking the day of Consumers' Rights Protection on March 15.



"Since the 60th the International Day on the Consumers' Rights Protection has been celebrated in the whole world," Melita Hakobyan, chairman of Armenia's Consumers' Rights Association, told a news conference on Friday.



"The issues on consumer rights protection were first considered in the U.S. During John Kennedy's presidency four rights were adopted, another four were added later by EU. Consumers all over the world want to be protected. Consumers have no sex or posts," she said.



She introduced 8 basic rules that every consumer must be aware of, namely: the safety rights, the right to be informed and heard, the right of basic needs, the right of choice, the right of compensation for the harm done, the right for acquiring consumer knowledge, the right for healthy environment. "Unlike the legislation system of the developed countries, the moral harm done to the consumer is never compensated in Armenia," she said.



According to Melita Hakobyan's, every country's government must protect its citizens' consumer rights. The citizens, in their turn, must be aware of and stand up for their rights. The chairman of the Consumers' Association singed out three types of consumers, namely: the first type involves those consumers who are completely ignorant of their rights, the second type is aware of its rights but feels shy to stand for them because of the mentality problem, and the third type is both aware of and can stand for its rights.



The Association is basically focused on spreading information about the consumer problems through the media. In particular, beginning from 1997, the Association has been publishing a monthly "Consumer" journal, where the findings of marketing and monitoring research are presented. The Association also conducts campaigns aimed at introducing safe food products and service to the consumers. A program has been worked out on the consumer right education at schools.