Do You Know Your Rights as a Consumer?

Buying a product or hiring a service that does not deliver what it promised is more common than we would like. The good news is that, in Colombia, the consumer is not alone: the law grants concrete rights and gives mechanisms to enforce them.

What consumer protection is

Consumer protection is the set of rules that govern consumer relations between those who produce, distribute, and sell goods or services and those who buy them. Its purpose is to balance that relationship, in which the consumer usually has less information and less room to negotiate.

In Colombia, that framework is Ley 1480 of 2011, known as the Consumer Statute.

Who protects your rights

The Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) is the authority in charge of safeguarding consumers’ rights and making the mechanisms to enforce the Statute available to citizens. Complaints can be filed with it when a product or a service does not comply.

What your rights as a consumer are

The Consumer Statute recognizes, among others, these rights:

• To receive quality products.
• Safety and indemnity, meaning the product causes no harm under normal conditions of use.
• To receive clear, truthful, and sufficient information about what you buy.
• To be protected against deceptive advertising.
• To complain when the product or service fails.
• Contractual protection against abusive clauses.

Two of them deserve a separate mention. The legal warranty backs the right to receive quality products: if the good turns out defective, the consumer can demand its repair, its replacement, or a refund. And the right to information is the basis of almost everything else, because without clear data there is no free purchasing decision.

What you can do if your rights are violated

When a product or a service does not comply, the first step is usually to complain directly to the supplier or the producer. If the response does not come or does not resolve the issue, the consumer can turn to the SIC. Knowing these rights is what makes it possible to claim them: an informed consumer demands better and, in doing so, pushes the market to compete on quality and good service.

At SPI Américas we advise consumers and companies on protecting these rights, whether they have been violated or when the goal is to prevent a dispute. If you have a case or a question, get in touch.

“Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress.” Herbert Clark Hoover.