Attitudes, Awareness, and Use of the Consumer Protection Act Among Retail Furniture Consumers in the Umlazi Township, South Africa

Abstract

The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) of 2008 was developed with the intention to protect consumers and promote fair dealings and responsible conduct of retailers in the marketplace. However, consumers continue to suffer in the marketplace due to defective products, unfair dealings, and poor service despite there being a CPA that was developed to protect their rights. Studies revealed a reduction in the number of registered complaints and an unchanged market environment for retail consumers pertaining to handling their consumer disputes. A quantitative study was conducted with a random sample of 95 retail furniture consumers who visited five furniture retail shops at Kwa Mnyandu Mall in the Umlazi township. Furniture retail consumers in Umlazi are aware of the CPA, however, they have reasonably less or no knowledge of the consumer rights contained in the CPA. Identified shortcomings in the use of the CPA to handle customer complaints is also explored. It was evident from the findings that retail consumers know that there is a CPA but they are unclear on how it is supposed to protect them when dissatisfied with a product.