Assess The Effectiveness Of Legal And Non Legal Measures In Achieving Justice For Consumers

“Assess the effectiveness of legal and non-legal measures in achieving justice for consumers.”
Altogether, legal and non-legal responses have been reasonably effective in achieving justice for consumers. There is an imperative need for consumer protection due to the recognition that buyers and sellers do not meet on equal terms – customers are frequently relying on the virtue and expertise of sellers and manufacturers, therefore, there is often an imbalance of power in which the consumer can be exploited. Legal measures such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (ACL) legislation and its statutory enforcement body – the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) provide adequate protection as well as redress and remedy for consumers

It aims to regulate and monitor food safety in the food industry so that food safety risks are mitigated. This demonstrates a recognition of the disadvantageous position of consumers – the power imbalance and the need to protect consumers who rely on the virtue of sellers from being exploited. Moreover, it aims to improve the clarity and accessibility of the provision of education, training and technical information (which is inexpensive and easily accessible on its website) to consumers so that self-awareness is achieved. In doing so, consumers will be informed and thus, scams and disputes can be avoided and prevented in the first place. As a result, it can be concluded that there are other state organisations also protects consumers, hence achieving

It guarantees that goods must be of acceptable quality and fit for purpose, whilst ensuring that consumers can access to repairs, spare parts, and warranties for defective goods. The implied terms of the ACL ensure that individuals can seek remedies if consumer guarantees are not met (accessible), thus adding a layer of protection for consumers. For example, specific Takata airbags have been reported to be deploying metal shrapnel into the driver, thus demonstrating a failure to meet quality standards for the protection of drivers, First Australian "seriously injured" by faulty Takata airbag (Choice, 2017). In response, automobile manufacturers of affected airbags have issued recalls and replacements under the requirements of the ACL. Additionally, its statutory body – the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is a mechanism for consumer complaint (redress and remedy) and is thus able to take large cases to court. To demonstrate, Nurofen has made misleading claims about its “specific pain” range tablets because “they all contained the same active ingredient”, Nurofen fined $6m for misleading consumers following ACCC case over ‘specific pain’ range (ABC, 2016). The ACCC took the pharmaceutical giant to the Federal Court where a fine of $6 million was imposed. Both cases reflect community expectations