MOSCOW, March 19, 2010. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data concerning the awareness of Russians about consumer rights. Did they face their breach?
43% of Russians faced the violation of their consumers' rights last year. 6% of respondents complain about regular infringement of rights in a half of cases, 9% of our fellow-citizens are not satisfied in a quarter of cases, 27% of Russians pointed out that last year they faced it once or twice. The bigger settlement is the more often its citizens mention violation of consumer rights: 38% among residents of villages and 52% among those who live in capitals.
Respondents faced infringement of their rights last year complain more often about improper quality of goods and services (49%), shortchanging and shortweighting (46%), sale of goods beyond their storage (40%). Every fourth respondent (28%) experienced refusal to change good or return money, every fifth respondent met incompetence and inattention from service personnel in shops (20%) and ignoring of sanitary regulations (18%). The inhabitants of Moscow and St. Petersburg face violation of their consumer rights more often than other people.
The majority of Russians (64%) are aware that their consumer rights are protected by the law but they know its content only in general terms. Only every tenth (11%) respondent declare that he know well his rights while a fifth part of respondents (20%) have no idea about it.
Men and women as well as representatives of different age groups equally estimate their level of awareness of consumer protection act. Good awareness of the rights is rarely mentioned by the inhabitants of Urals (7%), towns and villages (8-9%). The residents of North-Western and Southern districts (17 and 15%), the inhabitants of big cities (17%) estimate their awareness higher.
More than a third of respondents (38%) don't know whom to address to for protection of consumer rights. Basically they are people with low income who scratch out a living (52%), the inhabitants of villages (46%), the residents of North-Western (49%) and Far Eastern (47%) districts. More often Russians fairly suppose that in a case of finding shortages in purchased good they can address to local administration (27%) or court (25%). Every sixth respondent (16%) is sure that in the mentioned situation it's necessary to address to antimonopoly committee. Rarely Russians rely on police (9%).
The higher level of education Russians have the higher level of their consumer competence is: if 53% of respondents with incomplete secondary education don't know where to come for protection, then respondents with incomplete or complete higher education are aware of it (25%).
The initiative Russian opinion poll was conducted on March 6-7, 2010. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 140 sampling points in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4 %.
According to your experience of purchasing goods and services in 2009, did it happen that your consumer rights were infringed? (close-ended question, one number) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Type of settlement | ||||
Moscow and St. Petersburg | More 500 thousand inhabitants | 100-500 thousand | Under 100 thousand | Villages | ||
Yes, in most cases | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Yes, in a half of cases | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Yes, in a quarter of cases | 9 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 8 |
Yes, but once or twice | 27 | 35 | 28 | 29 | 24 | 24 |
No, never | 49 | 43 | 43 | 48 | 53 | 51 |
Hard to tell | 9 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 11 |
What violations of consumer rights did you face personally? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Type of settlement | ||||
Moscow and St. Petersburg | More 500 thousand inhabitants | 100-500 thousand | Under 100 thousand | Villages | ||
Improper quality of goods and services | 49 | 49 | 60 | 47 | 48 | 40 |
Shortchanging, shortweight | 46 | 56 | 33 | 57 | 46 | 45 |
Goods/services beyond their storage | 40 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 43 |
Refusal to change goods or return money | 28 | 36 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 30 |
Incompetence and misunderstanding from service personnel | 20 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 12 |
Ignoring of sanitary regulations | 18 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 20 |
Groundless overpricing on goods/services or estimate on execution of work | 13 | 25 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
Nonobservance of terms of goods delivery or service rendering | 12 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 12 |
Refusal to accept complaint addressed to management or to give complaints book | 12 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 |
Refusal to make warranty repair or after-sales service | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
Giving wrong information about goods and services (ingredients, producer, etc.) | 9 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Absence of necessary in-line documentation, | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Other breaches | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 1 |
Hard to tell | 1 |
| 1 |
| 1 | 1 |
If you find defects in acquired good whom can you address to for protection of consumer rights (close-ended question, any number of answers) | |||||
| Total respondents | Education | |||
Primary education or incomplete secondary education | Secondary education (school or vocational school) | Specialized secondary education | Incomplete higher education (up to 3 years), higher education | ||
Police | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
Court | 25 | 20 | 20 | 27 | 31 |
Antimonopoly committee | 16 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 23 |
Administration of settlement | 27 | 20 | 23 | 31 | 30 |
Don't know | 38 | 52 | 45 | 35 | 25 |
For twenty years Consumer Protection Act has been functioning in Russia. Do you personally know what rights as a consumer you have according to this act? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Type of settlement | ||||
Moscow and St. Petersburg | More 500 thousand inhabitants | 100-500 thousand | Under 100 thousand | Villages | ||
No, I know nothing about legal regulation of this sphere and my rights | 20 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 27 |
I know that my consumer rights are protected but the content of this law is familiar to me only in general terms | 64 | 66 | 69 | 59 | 66 | 60 |
I know good my consumer rights | 11 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 8 | 9 |
Hard to tell | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or www.wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!