OBJECTIVE: Create awareness on consumers' interests and promote fair-trading adapted from CASE

1. 1
Consumer Awareness
Consumer awareness is about alerting the consumers on his/her rights.
It is a marketing term which describes the characteristics of products or services
and marketing 4P’s (place to buy, price, and promotion).
Background
In 1962, a modern declaration about consumer’s rights (consumer
movement) was first made in the United States of America.
http://theviewspaper.net/consumer-awareness/

2. 2
4 basic consumer rights were recognised.
The right to safety
The purchase must be safe for their intended use, testing must be done prior
instructions must be included.
The right to be informed
The complete information about a product must be accessible to consumers.
The right to choose
Consumers have a choice of products, offered by different manufacturers and
sellers, to satisfy a particular need.
The right to be heard
The forth right means that someone will listen and take appropriate action
when costumers complain
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-4-Consumer-Rights&id=316766

3. CONSUMER
PROTECTION
3
Lemon Law
The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act
-CPFTA, 2004

4. 4
Such laws obligate sellers to repair or
replace the defective product within
6 months of delivery.
With effect in 2012, provisions of the
Lemon Law was added to the Consumer
Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
(CASE 2004)

5. 5
CASE STATISTICS RELEASED FOR THE YEAR 2013
The Association had received a total of 29254 complaints for the year 2013. Out of
which, CASE has taken up 1452 cases in the year 2013.
1765
1452
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2012 2013
Filed Cases
2280
2093
1950
2000
2050
2100
2150
2200
2250
2300
2012 2013
Assisted Cases
(CASE 2004)

6. 6
18%
12%
10%
10%10%
10%
8%
8%
7%
7%
TOP 10 Catergories
Motorcars
Electrical and electronics
Beauty
Handphones
Furniture
Contractors
Timeshare
Telecommunications
Travel
Maid agencies
(CASE 2004)

7. 7
(CASE 2004)
CASE STUDY 1 (Handout)
In Jun 2013, Mrs Suainah* purchased a branded brown leather bag worth $510
from a shop. The bag was defective after three months of use as the buckle of the
strap was dislodged due to a loosened screw. Mrs Suainah was issued a product
exchange form in Oct 2013, stating that the shop would provide an exchange for
the bag. However, despite the staffs’ claims that the exchanged bag was new, Mrs
Suainah found the buckle of the strap in similar condition as her earlier bag. She
requested for a satisfactory repair of the replacement bag, failing which a refund.
Mrs Suainah reported the matter to CASE and the business was informed that
they may have infringed upon - CPFTA Section 12A – Lemon Law – Defective
Goods. CASE negotiated with the business and they agreed to provide a
replacement bag. Mrs Suainah received the replacement bag and deemed it
defect free.

8. 8
CASE STUDY 2 (Handout)
In Dec 2013, Mr Foo* purchased a used car from the company at $52,000 and
paid in full. The vehicle was delivered on one day later. Two months later, the
ownership of the vehicle had yet to be transferred to him. Upon research, Mr
Foo discovered that the vehicle was not registered with the company. He
notified the company and they admitted to neglecting the procedure works. The
company gave a further promise to act on the matter within a week but to no
avail. Mr Foo requested to expedite the proper transfer of ownership without
further delay.
The case was reported and the company was informed that they may have
infringed on – CPFTA Section 4(a) - misleading claims, Section 4(b) - false claims
and the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) (Motor Vehicle Dealer Deposits)
Regulations 2009 – delay in submitting finance. The issue was resolved after the
company successfully transferred the vehicle ownership to Mr Foo
(CASE 2004)

9. 9
GUIDELINES
CASE Shopping Tips For Consumers
 Compare prices.
 Do research, especially for high-value items. For electrical goods, research on
the products and their functions, what could be the common problems to
look out for.
 Check goods are in good condition. When buying groceries, check the expiry
date of food items and see if the packaging are in good condition
 Ask about refunds and replacement policies.
 Ensure there is a warranty for electrical goods. Check on their post sales
service as well
 Keep receipts.
(CASE 2004)

10. 10
GUIDELINES
Additional tips: Online shopping
 Do research on unknown companies retailing items online
 Check that the site has a privacy policy
 Ensure that online transactions are secure
 For local websites, check for TrustSG or CaseTrust logo for additional
assurance
Before you sign a contract
 Read carefully the contract and appendices (if any)
 Scrutinise the fine prints
 Commit all verbal promises to writing (CASE 2004)

11. 11
LEMON LAWS FAQs
http://www.case.org.sg/downloads/central/Lemon%20Law%20FAQs.pdf
FOR ASSISTANCE FROM CASE
For general enquiries, you can call hotline at 6100 0315
(9am and 5pm WEEDAYS and 9am and 12pm on Saturdays.)

12. 12
SHARING
Available at SlideShare.net
Consumer Awareness: Lemon Law in Singapore
CONCLUSION
OBJECTIVE: Create awareness on consumers' interests and promote fair-trading

13. 13
BBM-6-CBE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
CONSUMER RESEARCH
STUDENT : LIM LYNN
ID: 3304052
THANK YOU