Consumers have a responsibility to complain about poor service or faulty products. Complaining helps to raise standards and protects other consumers from dangerous products and shoddy workmanship.

For example, imagine you saw a younger brother or sister pull the tail off a toy dog to reveal sharp metal spikes. By reporting the toy to Consumer Affairs Victoria, you would be helping to protect other children from doing themselves serious harm.

Types of consumer behaviour

There are basically three types of consumers behaviour: passive, aggressive and assertive. Consumers don’t, of course, always behave in the same way, it can depend on the circumstances, and the mood we are in!

The 3 types:

1. Passive

2. Aggressive

3. Assertive

Defintions

Passive: someone who is accepts or allows what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.

Assertive: someone who behaves confidently and will stand up for themselves.

Aggressive: someone who shows anger or aggression towards others or themselves.

Example 1

Kim purchases a can of ‘Mozzie killer’ insect repellent, while on holiday. She wakes up covered in mosquito bites even though the spray is “100% guaranteed to annihilate mosquitoes”.

Kim thinks about returning to the chemist store to complain but doesn’t think it will do any good as she is on holiday and not a regular customer. Also, the spray only cost $10.00 and she doesn’t want to waste any of her holiday trying to get a refund.

Example 2

Toshi buys a new alarm clock after his boss complains about his lateness. He sets the alarm but it fails to go off in the morning, making him late again. Toshi storms into the store where he bought the clock, saying he could lose his job and demands a refund.

The sales assistant asks if Toshi has his receipt, but he has left it at home, and leaves after complaining loudly to other customers about the store.

The assistant did not have time explain that once she had seen some proof of purchase, she would give Toshi a refund, or exchange the clock for a better model, at no extra cost.

Example 3

Pravina bought a watch advertised as waterproof and suitable for all water sports. The watch stops working when water seeps in during a diving lesson a week later. Pravina takes the watch back with the guarantee.

Before returning to the store she has decided that what she wants is a refund, not any other option. Pravina calmly explains what happened, pointing out that the watch was ‘100% guaranteed to be waterproof’. The sales assistant says the watch was made in China and Pravina will have to return it to the manufacturer.

Pravina politely points out that the responsibility lies with the store she bought the watch from, not the manufacturer, and that legally she has the right to a refund. The assistant tries to persuade Pravina to accept another watch of the same model, but she declines and receives a cash refund.

No.

Remember last lesson we discussed consumer rights and respnsibilites? We established that the store has a contract with the customer upon purchase.

The customer requires a receipt as proof, but the trader (store) needs to deal with Refund, Replacement, or Repair.

Exercise 2 - The baby stroller

Monica buys a baby stroller after trying out various models in the store. Unfortunately, the stroller has wonky wheels making it very hard to push in a straight line. She returns the stroller to the store, but the manager tells Monica that her baby is overweight and the stroller was designed to carry the weight of ‘normal’ babies.

Write three endings to this case study with Monica as, in turn, a passive, aggressive and assertive consumer.

Group 1 - passive

Group 2 - aggressive

Group 3 - assertive

Review the content

Types: passive, assertive, aggressive.

To report faulty products/services and poor service

The store from where the product was purchased (with a receipt).

They are entitled to 'redress' which includes: Replacement, Repair, or Refund.