Consumer Rights & Responsibilities
Consumer Rights & Responsibilities
Grade Levels
Course, Subject
Rationale
Vocabulary
consumer - one who makes purchases
rights -consumer choices protected by law
responsibilities -consumer choices which optimize protection
USDA-United States Department of Agriculture
CPSC-Consumer Products Safety Commission
FTC-Federal Trade Commission
FDA-Food and Drug Administration
SEC- Securities Exchange Commission
CDC- Center for Disease Control
Consumer Protection Statutes: Federal laws that are passed to protect consumers are called statutes. Government agencies were established to enforce consumer protection statutes. Agencies also exist at the state, local, and county levels.
Consumer Credit Protection Act: This law requires truth in lending. Consumers must be told exactly what the credit charge is on a purchase or loan. Creditors must report these charges in a uniform way. Credit costs must be stated both in dollars and cents and as an annual percentage rate.
Fair Packaging and Labeling Act: This statute requires truth in packaging. It is designed to help consumers compare goods. The act requires that certain facts be printed clearly on packaging. These facts include net contents, size of serving, list of ingredients in order of decreasing weight, and the like.
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: This law is designed to assure consumers of the safety, purity, and wholesomeness of food products. It also covers the safety and effectiveness of drugs and cosmetics. The act requires that these products be informatively labeled.
Automobile Information Disclosure Act: This act helps consumers compare new automobiles. It requires that manufacturers label each car, listing its suggested retail price, the price of any extras, and the total price.
Child Protection and Toy Safety Act: The purpose of this act is to protect children from dangerous goods, including toys. The act bans the shipment and sale of such dangerous items from state to state.
Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act: This act requires warning labels on all items containing dangerous chemicals. This includes any product that may cause substantial personal injury or substantial illness during or as a result of any handling, use, or ingestion.
Textile Fiber Products Identification Act: This act prohibits false labeling and false advertising of all textile products. The specific information relating to the fiber content on labels must be attached and clearly visible at the time of sale. This act includes the labels on pillows, mattresses, etc.
Magnuson-Moss Federal Warranty Law: This law provides rules governing the content of warranties. It requires manufacturers and sellers of products to provide consumers with detailed information about warranty coverage.
Equal Credit Opportunity Act: This act prohibits discrimination in the extending of credit based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, receipt of public assistance or because you exercise your rights under federal laws. This act does not guarantee creditworthiness. You must still pass the creditor’s tests of creditworthiness.
Truth-in-lending Act: All depository institutions are required to report interest earnings in the same way using the Annual Percentage Yield (APY).
Objectives
The student will be able to:
- Identify consumer rights and responsibilities.
- Explore ways to effectively resolve consumer concerns.
- Research government agencies charged with protecting consumer rights.
Lesson Essential Question(s)
How and why do resources need to be managed?
What factors need to be considered when choosing service providers?
What is the role of consumer action groups with regard to protecting consumer rights?
What is the role of the government with regard to protecting consumer rights?
Which services does your community provide?
Duration
2 class periods
Materials
Teacher-developed packet which includes consumer rights and responsibilities, identified government agencies, and space for personal consumer problem and a researched action plan.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/about.shtm
Government Agencies Worksheet
Consumer rights and responsibilities game chosen and purchased by teacher/district, Bureau of Consumer Protection Booklet from the PA Attorney General’s Office and question sheet
Consumer Information packets
Suggested Instructional Strategies
W = After completing the hook and hold, the teacher will explain to the class how the lesson will be organized and assessed.
H = The teacher will lead the class in a discussion of consumer problems they have actually encountered. These personal interest stories will create interest and show the relevance of the lesson.
E = The hook and hold will show the relevance of the material, and students working in pairs will allow students to help each other to be successful.
R = The group sharing will allow students to reflect, revisit, revise, and rethink.
E = Students will express their understanding through the group sharing and follow-up discussions and the application of the information when writing the letter to seek redress in the next lesson.
T = Cooperative pairings will be made to make use of individual strengths and deal with individual needs.
O = Over the course of the 2 days, the lesson will be structured to move from a teacher-guided, large group discussion to students working in pairs to research and to share information.
Instructional Procedures
Day 1:
Opener: Ask if any students ever had a consumer problem. You will get blank stares. Then give the example of the student who entered Bath and Body works with a large bag and the salesperson demanded she open her bag so she could search it. The student refused, called the manager, and walked out with gift certificates because the employee had been rude to her. That will get them talking/thinking.
Pass out the consumer rights and responsibilities information and worksheet. Students may work in pairs or individually. Each must answer the section where they create a paragraph describing a consumer problem and how they would resolve the issue. They must name at least one government agency they would utilize to solve the issue. Groups share their findings with the class.
Day 2:
Pass out the PA Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Booklet. Pairs of students read and answer questions about the booklet on the accompanying worksheet. Goal: Empower students to know where to turn when they have a consumer problem. The PA Attorney General has legal teeth and plenty of power to help them resolve their consumer issues. Students share their findings with the class.
Formative Assessment
Discussion
Responses on worksheets
Teacher observation
Use of class time
Cooperation and encouragement with peers
Eventual performance/composition of letter of consumer complaint
Related Materials & Resources
To extend the lesson for gifted students, add the component of ethical responsibility using a teacher-provided concerning ethical consumerism.Students could debate the topic: Do we have a responsibility to be ethical consumers?
Follow-up lesson: Students will write a letter to seek redress regarding a product or service that does not perform to the acceptable standards of the consumer.
Websites:
Department of Agriculture (USDA): www.usda.gov
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): www.cpsc.gov
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): www.ftc.gov
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): http://www.fda.gov/
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): www.sec.gov
CDC – Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov
The Comptroller of the Currency www.occ.gov
The Pennsylvania Attorney General www.attorneyge neral.gov