Consumer Bill of Rights Consumer Bill of Rights Name Class Date Professor Consumer Bill of Rights Consumers take many risks when they purchase a product or a service. The consumer can fall prey to deceptive marketing schemes or purchase an inferior product. In order to protect the consumer the Consumer Bill of Rights was created in 1962 by the Kennedy Administration establishing four consumer rights. The first four consumer rights established by John F. Kennedy are the right to safety, the right to choose, right to information, and the right to be heard. In 1985 two more rights were added to this list of rights (CUTS, 2009). They include the right to education and right to service. The goal of these rights was to ensure the consumer receives truthful information about the product and a fair price. The first right, the right to safety, is designed to ensure the consumer is not given a product or service that can cause them harm. In 1972 the federal government established the Consumer Product Safety Act which is designed to establish standards and to conduct tests to ensure the product will not cause harm to the consumer (Popkin, 2011). Products potentially creating a danger must contain a warning label. Products found to be harmful to the consumer will be recalled. The company will be required to pull the product from the shelf. This right ensures consumers do not waste money on a harmful product. The second right afforded to the consumer in the Consumer Bill of Rights is the right to choose. What this means is the consumer has the right to a large selection of products instead of just being forced to buy one product. When there is not a large selection of products the consumer is forced to pay a high price for the product. If there is a selection the consumer has a choice. The third right afforded the consumer is the right for information. This means the consumer has the right to be informed about the product. Businesses are required to provide a label on products to ensure accurate information. The fourth right guaranteed the consumer is the right to be heard. What this means is a consumer is provided with an opportunity to express their opinion about a product (Popin, 2011). This means consumers can legally speak out against a company or a product or they can create consumer reporting measures that inform the public about the product. For example the Better Business Bureau is a business established for the sole purpose of informing consumers about public opinion on products and businesses. The BBB will either report positive feedback or they will report negative feedback on the product. Consumers can use this venue in order to research the product they want to buy. This is especially important when making large, expense purchases, such a refrigerators, or automobiles. The fifth right was not an original right of the Consumer Bill of Rights but was added by the United Nations alo.