Critical Consumer Pat Sidley
IT IS a commonly held view that South African consumers are ignorant, apathetic and don’t stand up for themselves. There is good reason for thinking this at times — particularly when well-educated, well-heeled consumers who know the ropes of life don’t take up the challenge of bad service, sue for medical malpractice, or whatever.
But it would be wrong to think all South African consumers are that bad. Most can sense when they are being ripped off and many become very angry indeed when they can find no just remedy.
A schoolgirl’s essay competition gives the lie to the perception that all consumers are half-witted. The competition, run annually by the University Women’s Association (last year’s competition was unfortunately the last), has produced a range of views on consumer rip-offs which were, to the say the least, enlightening.
Some of the entries are predictable and display the young women’s access to improved education, if nothing else. Entries came from every type of school imaginable — rural, urban, black, white, coloured, Indian, advantaged, disadvantaged, model C, state-funded or private — the lot. And the sense from the few this critical consumer saw, is of a definite savoir faire of the issues, not to mention anger.
The competition was adjudicated by Rand Afrikaans Univeristy English lecturer Dr Elizabeth Lickindorf, who collected some of the more interesting views of the young women who submitted essays.
The most potent and colourful description from the essays is one which came from Katlehong: “The new South Africa is like a hyena waiting for its prey to die — by this I want to warn every consumer to avoid careless choices, especially in today’s economy: I as the prey and as a proactive consumer will not help the hyena who is waiting for me.”
The entry that won third prize came from Moora Letsoalo of Standard 9D at Mamelodi High School. In her essay, she had this to say after pointing out that consumer needs cover basics which all human beings require, like food and shelter: “The consumer needs protection against selfish producers and monopolists who are driven by the profit-motive.” She notes too, that this profit urge occurs in an environment where consumers are ignorant of “price mechanisms in general”.
She explains her views, drawn from some of her life experiences: “The ripping off of consumers results from frauds involving doctors who supply expired medicine and again from insurance companies who gain money by means of a consumer’s increased premium.”
“It is the duty of every individual in South Africa to stop the consumer from being ripped off because the acquisivity urge that is the desire to possess money and material goods is the most causative fact which leads to theft, fraud and ripping off of consumers,” she says.
Lucelle Padayachee from Crystal Point Secondary School in Phoenix, who won a merit award for her efforts, had strong political views on the issues: “In South Africa, the economic plight remains constant, I would seek to alleviate the exploitation of ‘black’ South Africans, who are forced to purchase goods at exorbitant prices at the local cafe. Minister of Transport, Mac Maharaj has admitted that a functional infrastructure needs to exist immediately in order for economic upliftment in the settlements. I would support and actively demand government schemes promoting development of these areas, to facilitate competition between stores. This would result in decreased prices, increased quality and a successful functioning of the RDP.”
Arlene Batohi, who came second and is from the Solvista Secondary School in Phoenix, asked these pertinent questions: “Did you know that you are the nucleus of the business industry? Many consumers are intimidated by huge companies when it comes to reporting cases of exploitation. Aren’t you paying for the goods and services with your hard-earned salaries? You don’t need to be misled by subliminal advertising and meretricious sale pamphlets. You deserve excellent treatment. Ask for it from the Public Relations Department.”
She notes, too, that it is a weakness for consumers not to know their rights — and believes their choices and freedom to choose are compromised by this.And, importantly, she seeks to redress some of this: “Our raw vulnerability is our lack of representation. I can form a local consumer council which is affiliated to the police. A locally-based council is accessible to the community. It can organise consumer rights programmes at shopping complexes to arm the consumer with three powerful weapons: knowledge of their rights, laws that protect them and consumer empowerment.”
Kickindorf found more in Witbank: “Government-created monopolies are the real enemies. They are free to raise prices, as the government assures legal protection against competition.”
A kwaZulu-Natal student, drawing heavily from personal experience, wrote: “In South Africa there is a high rate of illiteracy. I visited my uncle who kept a shop in a rural settlement. The poor people who came to buy had to pay more than the labelled price. My uncle said that brought a lot of money to the store.”
There was, naturally, much more where that came from, but it makes a powerful point. Young people on their way into life are definitely aware that they are being ripped off. Some have remedies for this, others will enter the mainstream of life already angry.
It’s really up to us all in the media, in business, in education and the legislatures to ensure that these young people about to enter the adult world have rights, understand them, enforce them and that society punishes transgressors.
One student gets the last word on this for her particularly insightful comment: “Critical consumers are the pillars of a better economy.”