Key Concepts:
Vocabulary: consumer, advocates, malpractice, health fraud
Managing Consumer Problems
Resolving Consumer Problems
Main Idea: Take action to correct consumer problems.
Have you ever bought a product and been dissatisfied with it after you used it? Maybe the product didn’t work the way it should, didn’t work at all, or a part was missing or broken. What can you do when this happens?
When searching for a product, find out what the store’s return policy is before making a purchase. If the product has a warranty, check that it’s in the package or ask for a copy. Scan the warranty and read the store’s return instructions. After you get home and open the product, save the packaging, along with your receipt and warranty.
If the product comes with instructions, read them carefully. Pay particular attention to the directions for skin and hair care products. Follow all the steps for the product’s use or assembly. Make sure you use the product exactly the way it was designed and made to be used.
If you are using the product correctly and it isn’t working the way you expected, read the warranty to learn how the manufacturer requires you to return it. You may be able to return it to the store where you bought it. However, some manufacturers want the product returned directly to them. Put the product back in its original packaging, and follow the manufacturer’s return instructions. You may be asked to write a letter describing the problem and requesting a replacement or your money back. Date your letter and keep a copy for your files, along with a shipping receipt to prove you returned the product.
If you are not satisfied with the response to your efforts, ask for help from one of the following organizations:
The Better Business Bureau handles complaints about local merchants. Its basic services are dispute resolution and truth-in-advertising complaints.
Consumer advocates are people or groups whose sole purpose is to take on regional, national, and even international consumer issues. Some, like Consumers Union, test products and inform the public about potential problems. Others keep an eye out for consumer concerns about products and services.
Local, state, and federal government agencies work to protect consumers’ rights. The federal agencies most concerned with consumer health issues are the FDA, which is responsible for ensuring that medicines are safe, effective, and properly labeled, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recalls dangerous products.
Sometimes people run into problems with their health care providers, such as difficulty in scheduling appointments, or their health insurance won’t cover nontraditional approaches such as acupuncture or herbal treatments. Often, people can avoid more serious problems by changing health care professionals or insurance companies. To make sure they are getting the best care possible, many people get a second opinion from another doctor for any major health concern especially if it involves surgery or other serious treatment.
Occasionally, health care professionals may fail to provide adequate treatment and may be guilty of malpractice, failure by a health professional to meet accepted standards. If you experience a serious problem with a health care professional you can contact organizations such as the American Medical Association or a state licensing board for help.
Health Fraud
Main Idea: Protect yourself from health fraud.
Have you ever seen an ad on TV or in a magazine that promises an instant cure for a health problem? Did you think that sounded too good to be true? You were probably right. Such ads are a kind of health fraud, the sale of worthless products or services that claim to prevent disease or cure other health problems. Health fraud is often called quackery.
Weight-loss and beauty products are two areas particularly susceptible to health fraud. Read ads for these products very carefully before deciding to buy. Look out for claims like the following:
“Secret formula”
“Miracle cure”
“Overnight results”
“All natural”
“Hurry, this offer expires soon”
Health clinics that provide “miracle” cures for ailments or questionable treatments, such as “microwaving” cancer cells, are also guilty of health fraud. Some fraudulent clinics have been shut down after it was discovered that the people running them were not the doctors they claimed to be; some even had criminal records. These clinics often take advantage of people who are very ill and desperate for a cure.
To protect yourself from health fraud, you can do the following:
Check out the product’s or service’s claim with a doctor or other health professional.
Talk to family and friends to get their opinion.
Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been complaints about the product or service.
Check with a professional health organization about the claim. The American Heart Association, for example, will be familiar with health frauds related to heart disease treatment.
Remember, you have the power and the responsibility to protect your health and well-being!
© 2020-2025. All Rights Reserved.
