Lesson 9 Introduction of Consumer and Legal Awareness

 Know why consumer skills are important  Understand how to appropriately resolve personal and professional issues or concerns

 They are important life skills which empower you to achieve maximum satisfaction through the utilization of resources which include economics, law and purchasing.  They can be applied to your personal and professional life and create a confident consumer.  Knowing what it takes to be a satisfied consumer will help put you in the shoes of your customers.

 Trust is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity within the marketplace  Certain businesses that partake in false advertising and unfair business practices attempt to exploit the uninformed purchaser.  Consumer awareness agencies provide protection and training to equip buyers with the knowledge needed to make informed product purchases.

Consumer awareness practices are Designed to help the buyer distinguish the reputable businesses and products from the ones that are not. Fortunately, there are a number of agencies in place to assist the consumer in making wise product purchases. Consumer awareness practices

 Better Business Bureau  Consumers Union  Federal Trade Commission

 An agency through which businesses in the United States and Canada can register for accreditation.  The accreditation represents a standard of business practice conducted by the companies who join with this agency.  Each business pays an annual fee to maintain its membership.  Participating members are expected to conduct their business and consumer affairs using the BBB Standards for Trust, which is a code of business ethics.  Participating businesses are listed as members of the Better Business Bureau.  Agency listings provide a way for consumers to be aware of the companies who maintain ethical business practices. 

 The Consumers Union is a consumer awareness organization that specializes in product testing and comparisons, and keeping consumers informed about marketplace issues.  This organization is involved in the development of policies that influence business practices within the United States. Consumers Union advocates work within the regional, national and international court systems on behalf of the consumer.  Their primary areas of interest include industries involved in health care, food safety, housing, utilities, media, telecommunications and financial services. 

 The Federal Trade Commission is a federal agency put in place to legislate and enforce consumer protections, and regulate fair business practices.  It was first created in 1914 as an agency responsible for preventing unfair methods of competition--such as false advertising--within the marketplace.  Over the years, the agency was expanded to address and administer consumer protection laws, some of which include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule.  They are responsible for enforcing and developing current business practice laws, as well as providing training programs designed to promote consumer awareness. 

Get up to date information about:  Banking  Credit  Law & Consumer Rights  Identity Protection/ Fraud  Purchasing  Recalls & Lemon Laws  Food and Nutrition  Health Care  Housing & Insurance pdfs/2010_Consumer_Action_Han dbook.pdf

 Business Protocol A formalized understanding both written and oral of acceptable actions in a business and organization.  Complaint An expression of dissatisfaction.  Consumer Rights The rights and entitlements, as well as standards that customers are due. Examples include: airline bill of rights, lemon law, etc.  Customer Feedback The exchange of information after a customer has an experience. Was it good, was it bad?

 Entitlement The right to have, or deserve a good or service.  Frontline Staff Staff that directly deal with customers. The first person you may encounter that a customer has interactions with. Often these staff are not in a supervisory role but need to utilize critical thinking skills to solve customer problems and complaints.  Inquiries Questions???  Interactions The exchange of behaviors between individuals both verbally and non-verbally.  Problem A difficult or complex issue or situation.  Timing The regulation of occurrences, pace or coordination to receive the most desirable effects.