This weeks presentation will be about consumers with a special focus on their rights in Poland. The aim is to familiarize you with your rights during the process and after a transaction so that when something goes wrong you won’t get duped.
Let’s start with the basics. What do consumers do? In a nutshell – driven by their individual needs - they buy.
Based on research several consumer types have been distinguished. Based on a book „Segmentacja rynku i typologia konsumentów” written by A. Kusińska, types and subtypes are as follows:
Older people
o Type 1: can’t afford too much, they shop by themselves and are active and working. Their education is low, earned money is likely to be spent on medical services and holidays. Usually have loans. Typical age up to 69 years.
o Type 2: same as type 1 but their health disallows them to shop by themselves. They depend on family and/or neighbours. Their average age is above 80 years.
o Type 3: similar to type 1 but they don’t have a job and are not willing to have one. Usually they are live in small towns or villages.
o Type 4: highly educated, working and active. They like to shop in big centres, don’t have any loans or obligations. Typically they are a live together marriage.
Middle class
o Type 1: not very educated and earning below average. Thier main priorities are happiness, family, good health and children's education. They spend their holidays at home, camping or visit family members.
o Type 2: have high private and business life expectations. Invest in themselves and their family. They earn a lot and for holidays they choose organised trips.
o Type 3: established their own company, like to take a risk. Important for them is: family and career. Thanks to their high earnings they can afford more expensive products. Holiday preferences are similar to type 2.
o Type 4: material things have little meaning to them, they expect functionality. They value independence. Holiday preferences are not established.
Young ones
o Type 1: people of success, they like to test out new things especially luxury ones. In their free time they read books, listen to music or go for a walk. Education is important to them.
o Type 2: have limited funds but value good quality. They are loyal to known brands and are reluctant to novelties. Free time is good for a bike ride or hang out with their friends.
o Type 3: discount hunters, they don’t like to test out new things. They spend free time on watching tv.
o Type 4: price and quality is equally important to them. Before buying they think a lot and ask friends for opinions.
Questions:
1. What type are you? Or maybe you’re special?
2. Do you think you know your rights as a consumer?
I do not feel special, but it seems to me that I am a combination of several groups. At the same time work and still feel young, I have no family, I would like to spend vacation time at home, and sometimes to go on a organised trip.
ReplyDeleteAs consumers we have a lot of rights. Mostly we have no idea about them. Often it happens that the shop workers do not have the idea. But then we are on a winning position, if we know more than them. Personally, I was forced to learn about many of my consumer rights when I was fighting unsuccessfully to repair the tv week before the guarantee. Finally finished successfully. So I recommend you spend a free moment on study regulations so that you can save time and nerves.
I guess I'm a young student type, so I'm limited by money but I quality is important to me. Maybe I'm not so 'loyal' but when product satisfies me then I'm it's client.
ReplyDeleteCompletely different is my bf who is complete discount hunter, he doesn't like to spent a lot of money and prefers cheap products so we often fight what we should buy ;)
I think I'm not aware what I can do as a client and what my rights are. I guess life will teach me this
Haha, this is a funny presentation:) Surely I'm not special:)
ReplyDeleteI think I'm partly "Type 3from "Midle class". I like to take risks but the career is not too important for me. Mostly I try to be careful what I buy, I usually buy the products of higher quality because I think that I will be used it for longer time:)
2. Do you think you know your rights as a consumer?
I am a reseller and do not believe in consumer rights. The consumer has the right to only those allowed by the vendor. The rest does not matters ...
Usually I'm not keen of such dividing people into certain types but I think this one is actually right :) Looks like I'm a young one - type 4.
ReplyDelete@Michał Ogonowski
Maybe this is because consumers don't know about their rights? The whole idea of this presentation is to show that the seller isn't a god. However often I find myself not posting complaints or fighting for my rights because the product was not expensive.
Recently I came across a case where a woman took the seller to court for breaking her consumer rights - her new pair of slippers turned out to be faulty.
What type am I? I refuse to give an answer to such question ;) This is a very sensitive piece of information strictly forbidden to be distributed over the internet ;) Let me keep it to myself and the marketing specialits of the comapny where I get my clothes from.
ReplyDeleteBut I can frankly say that I don't know well my rights as a consumer. I'm always try to be cautious when buying anything valuable. And if I happen to buy a faulty product my response usually limits to requesting a warranty repair.
I do not know in which group I should be. Maybe Young ones last point. I really like to do some research before buying something (especially when it is expensive like tv, sound system etc.) I read people opinions over the internet about product and company I am intersted to buy.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I have a Sharp Tv. It broken just month after the warranty finished. It turned out that it would be the same to buy new tv as repair the old one (because broken part was so expensive). But I have called Sharp "BOK" and they said that Sharp will cover the price of parts, what I have to pay for is just for the exchange of them. We say in Poland for it 'robocizna'. So I think this company is very good, I know a lot of other brands that try as much as they can to avoid taking costs on them.
Second brand I like is Bose. When my tuner broke, they exchanged it for brand new without any problems. Ofcourse those brands are not cheap but I think they are worth the money.
I belong to young ones. I know my consumer rights but I am also sure that not all. This which are the most neccessary I know.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite difficult to tell, which type of consumer I am. I think the young ones, first group is the closest. I hate TV, I prefer to read books, sometimes to go for a walk and certainly, education is important to me. However, I wouldn't call myself "person of success" and I don't have any luxury goods, partly because I'm too focused on education and doing scientific research to find a well-paid job position. For me, money and luxuries are currently not a priority, as long as I can afford to satisfy most of my needs as a consumer.
ReplyDeleteI think, I know the basic consumer rights when it comes to traditional shopping. I'm unsure about some nuances of online transactions, but so far there wasn't a situation, when I wasn't satisfied as far as online shopping is concerned.
I'm a customer and I hope I know my all customer rights if not I would like to know all of them :) So in fact that I'm still young and still a student rather suits to me subtype 2 from type 3. I don't like spending a lot money for shoping but I like buying products good quality.
ReplyDeleteI is hard to tell in which group I am...
ReplyDeleteOf course in young ones. Probably the one which is closest to me is group 2.But still it is too generalized.
Everyone is combination of those depending on situation but features of mine in case of shoping : i try to be discount hunter, but in Poland it is difficult, our discounts are on level 10%-15%, or even there are only informations about discounts and prices are the same. I will also not pay for something i really like more than i think it is worth. Unfortunately i have also cases that i bought something and then i realized it is not for me, or after few months i noticed that i didn'realy need it. No i don't think i know my rights as a consumer.
ReplyDeleteI definitly can say I`m young one. Education is very important. I would like to try everything in my life-exotic trips for example. To have it all for sure it depends on how we earn. I think the most important is to find a balance between work, family and leasure time. We have to make our dreams come true. People spend huge sums for things they really don`t need at all, it`s better to invest or support organisations.
ReplyDeleteI think I belong to Young ones, Type 1. I am not sure if I am a person of success, but I like to read books, listen to music and going for a walk (especially with my dog). I also think that education is basic thing in my life.
ReplyDeleteI like to try new things, even if they are expensive (mostly technical innovations).
I think I know my rights as a consumer (but probably not all of them).
Hmm ... never thought about it. I am currently at the stage of change. Until recently I was the type of young people who have limited funds, but I always liked to buy some things, of proven quality. But on the other hand, often like trying to change the brand of clothes. Spend leisure time differently, sometimes walking, sometimes riding a bicycle, but most often I meet with friends.
ReplyDeleteNow I earn, and I try to invest in yourself, I plan every week and even the first time I planned a longer vacation. I admit that I am now very happy, but over time I'll probably have a growing need:)
And as for consumer rights, it was always my problem is that they didn't know, but very often this knowledge is useful. Customers are often cheated and pressed them to bad things.
I wouldn't say I'm a "type". I do value quality a lot, but I also pay attention to the price. I don't rely on my friends opinion so much, though. I do a research before making a big decision. As for the second question I think I am a pretty cautious customer. I am aware of my rights and I often demand them to be respected = I'm quite annoying then :)
ReplyDelete