As a consumer in South Africa, your rights are protected by the South African Consumer Protection Act (CPA), No 68 of 2008. According to the CPA, you are given the following rights:
- The right to privacy.
– You can refuse unwanted marketing and sales calls, SMSs, emails, etc.
- The right to choose your product.
– You have the right to choose who you buy from, ask them how much it will cost before agreeing to buying something, and to cancel the purchase or to request a refund if it is not up to standard or not what you ordered.
- The right to fair and honest dealing.
– You have the right to protection against any fraudulent dealings.
- The right to information
– When buying something, you have the right to ask for information in plain and simple language, as well as all documentation related to the purchase, including invoices and receipts.
- The right to fair and responsible marketing
– When buying something through a catalogue (i.e. you can’t view the item in person), suppliers need to give all relevant information, including full address and contact details, as well as how and where you can lodge a complaint.
- The right to accountability by suppliers
– When you lay-bye and item, the supplier needs to be able to give you a full refund of your money, including interest if you cancel the purchase. If you go to collect the goods, it needs to be what you bought, or a similar product of equal or superior quality.
- The right to fair value, good quality and safety.
– You have the right to demand quality service and goods. When something you bought breaks within six months of purchase, you may return the product to be repaired (at the supplier’s cost), replaced, or refunded.
- The right to fair, just and reasonable terms and conditions.
– The terms and conditions of any contract you enter into must be fair to you as a consumer, and not infringe upon any of your rights.
- The right to equality
– Suppliers are not allowed to limit access to goods or services or vary the quality of their goods or services in a discriminatory manner. They may not charge unfair prices or discriminate based on race, gender, socio-economic status or geographic location.
If you believe that any of your consumer rights have been infringed upon, contact Scorpion Legal Protection for advice.