Sumit purchased an ISI marked washing machine of a famous brand 'MG' from TG Electronics Ltd. The shopkeeper asked him to wait for two days for installation of the machine. His friends, Vivek, was every found of experimenting with new electronic products. He told Sumit that there is no need to wait for the company's representative to install the machine and that he could do it. So, both of them installed the machine without following the manufacturer's instructions. Initially, the machine worked effectively and the wash was good. But after two days, the machine started stopping in between the was cycle. Sumit and Vivek tried their best to start the machine but failed in their efforts. Sumit, therefore, approached TG Electronics Ltd., which refused to provide any service on the plea that the installation of the machine was not done by the company.
(a) State the responsibility which Sumit had to fulfil as an aware consumer to get the services of the company.
(b) Explain briefly any two rights which Sumit could have exercised had he fulfilled his responsibility identified in part (a).

Explanation

(a) As an aware consumer, the responsibility that Sumit should have followed is 'following the manufacturer's instructions and user manuals carefully before using the product for safety purposes'.
(b) If Sumit had fulfilled his responsibility, then he could have enjoyed the following rights :
(i) Right to be heard Under this right, a consumer has the right to file a complaint under appropriate forums established by the government, in case of any grievance or dissatisfaction.
(ii) Right to seek redressal Under this right, a consumer has the right to seek redressal and compensation in case of any exploitation. The Consumer Protection Act provides for compensation in various forms such as replacement of product, cash compensation and repair/removal of defects, among others.