Consumer Rights Protection Act Bangladesh: How to File a Complaint and What Compensation You May Receive

Introduction

In the present economy, consumers often encounter issues like adulterated products, overcharging, false advertising, defective services, and expired goods. These practices cause financial losses as well as endanger health and safety.

In Bangladesh, to protect consumers, the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 (CRPA 2009) was enacted. It aims to protect the rights of consumers, prevent anti-consumer practices, and provide effective remedies. Moreover, the Consumer Rights Protection Rules, 2020 set out complaint forms, hearing procedure, and administrative process for enforcing the Act.

The CRPA 2009 created: the National Consumer Rights Protection Council, chaired by the Commerce Minister, which sets policy; the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP), headed by a Director General, which is the body that actually receives, investigates, and penalizes complaints; and District Committees, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, which carry out similar functions at the district level.

Furthermore, Bangladesh’s Constitution does not create a standalone “right to consumer protection,” but two provisions provide the underlying policy basis: Articles 15 and 18, which guarantee to secure a basic standard of living, including food security, and to prioritise public health and nutrition by imposing a duty on the state to ensure it. As the “Fundamental Principles of State Policy” chapter is not directly enforceable in court on its own, courts have referenced them, alongside Article 32’s “right to life,” interpreted to include safe goods and services, when consumer matters raise broader rights concerns.

The Digital Commerce Operational Guidelines, 2021, issued under the National Digital Commerce Policy, 2018, add specific rules for online sellers: delivery timelines, refund handling, advance-payment limits, and complaints against them can also be routed to DNCRP.

This article highlights the rights of a consumer, the process of filing complaints, and the remedies available under the law.

Who Is Referred to as a “Consumer”?

Section 2(19) of the Act states a consumer is any person who:

• Except for resale and commercial purposes, purchases any goods on payment, promise to pay, partly paid/promise, or promises to pay on installment;
• Uses goods with the buyer’s consent;
• Purchases goods and uses them commercially for the purpose of earning a livelihood;
• Hires or accepts any services in exchange for payment or promise to pay, partially paid/promised price, or on installment;
• Enjoys the benefits of services with the consent of the recipient.

In simple terms, the consumer refers to the person who purchases products or services.

What Are the Rights of Consumers?

There are eight consumer rights defined in the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, 1999:

1. Safeguarding against goods that are hazardous to life and property.
2. Consumers have the right to be informed regarding the price, quality, quantity, etc., of the products they buy.
3. Consumers should be provided with a wide variety of goods to choose from.
4. Right of consumers to have their complaints heard.
5. People must have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water and sanitation.
6. Consumers have the right to seek redress regarding their complaints.
7. Right of consumers to be aware of their rights.
8. Right to live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.

What Is Prohibited under Consumer Rights Practice?

Section 2(20) prohibits:

• Selling products at a price higher than the fixed rate.
• Intentionally selling adulterated (impure, less quality, or adding incorrect substances) products or medicines.
• Selling products containing substances prohibited or harmful to health.
• Deceiving the public with false or misleading advertisement.
• Selling expired or hazardous goods.
• Failing to deliver the product or service actually promised for the price paid.
• Delivering less weight, quantity, or shorter length than promised.
• Using rigged scales, weights, or measuring tapes.
• Manufacturing or selling counterfeit products.

When Do You Know That Your Rights Have Been Violated, and When Can You Complain?

When one finds themselves facing problems such as receiving products other than those advertised, failure to receive goods despite paying for them, overcharging beyond the marked price, products that are either expired or adulterated, and false advertisements, that is when the consumer knows their rights have been violated.

For instance, a consumer bought a 1 GB internet package at Tk 275 after seeing an advertisement offering 2 GB of free data that would last 28 days, but instead was overcharged and had restrictions placed on the data, such as being usable only from 2am to 12pm, or expiring within 7 days. When this deception was discovered, he filed a complaint with DNCRP along with evidence of the deception. As a result, DNCRP fined the company Tk 2.5 lakh, while the complainant received Tk 62,500 as compensation (25% of the total fine).

According to the Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009, any consumer complaint should normally be filed within 30 days through DNCRP’s hotline (16121), website, or in person. Other e-commerce sites have also been penalized by DNCRP for non-delivery, and restaurants have been penalized for selling expired food.

Who Can File a “Complaint”?

Section 2(3) defines “Complainant” as:

• Any consumer;
• One or more consumers with the same interest;
• Any consumer organization registered under any law;
• The National Consumer Protection Council or any officer empowered to file a complaint on its behalf;
• The Government or, in this behalf, any Government officer authorized by the Government; or
• The relevant wholesalers and retailers.

How to File a Complaint?

Mediation: Contact the seller or service provider and give them a chance to fix the problem: replace the product, issue a refund, or correct the bill. Keep records of this attempt; it strengthens your case if it later goes further. Consumers must maintain receipts, warranty cards, or any written/electronic communication as evidence. Many disputes are resolved once a business realizes a formal complaint is possible.

If mediation fails, or the complainant does not want to proceed with mediation, they may file a complaint.

Procedure to File a Complaint

• Who May Complain: Any consumer may file a written complaint to the Director General or the person authorized on behalf of him, or by requesting the DG to take action via mail, fax or other means.
• Modes of Filing a Complaint: In person, or through the DNCRP online platform, SMS, 24hr hotline, or District Magistrate. This allows authorities to take necessary measures to prevent possible acts that may infringe upon the rights of the consumer, to determine whether the life or safety of service recipients is being endangered by violation of prohibitions under this Act, and to take remedial measures. (Sections 76(1), 20(4), 21(2)[b,n])
• Complaint Must Contain: Full name, address, phone number, and occupation of the complainant, name of father/mother, a clear description of the incident, date, and place, and supporting evidence.
• Limitation Period: As per Section 60, a complaint must be filed within 30 days of the cause of action arising. Complaints filed after this period are not accepted.
• Upon receiving a complaint, the DG will immediately inquire into or investigate it. If the allegation is found correct, the DG or authorized person may impose a fine on the guilty party, and once the fine is collected, 25% of it must be paid to the consumer immediately. A similar process applies in criminal proceedings (Section 76).
• For more serious violations, the case can be forwarded to a 1st Class Magistrate or Metropolitan Court. However, the DG’s approval is needed before a criminal case can be filed in a Magistrate’s Court (Section 71) — a consumer cannot approach the criminal court directly without this endorsement. Section 61 requires that a charge sheet be submitted within 90 days of the Section 60 complaint, or the Magistrate cannot take cognizance of the offence. A consumer may file a civil suit for compensation in the court of the Joint District Judge, even if a criminal case on the same facts is already underway.
• If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the decision, they may appeal against a Magistrate’s order to the Sessions Judge within 60 days, and appeal against a Joint District Judge’s civil decree to the High Court Division within 90 days. (Section 68)

Process of Online Filing

[Image: Flowchart illustrating the DNCRP online complaint filing process]

The limitation period to conclude the case is 90–150 days (3–5 months).

Remedies Available

1. If your complaint leads to a proven violation and a fine is imposed, 25% of the collected fine is paid directly to the complainant, as an incentive for reporting. This does not apply if the complainant is a DNCRP employee acting in their official capacity. (Section 76)
2. Sections 36–56 deal with penalties:
   • Up to 1 year imprisonment and/or a fine up to BDT 50,000 for offenses like selling above the fixed price, false advertising, short-weighing, rigged scales, or selling expired goods.
   • Up to 3 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to BDT 200,000 for knowingly selling adulterated goods/medicine, counterfeiting products, endangering a service recipient’s safety, or causing financial/health/life harm through negligence.
   • Doubled penalties for repeat offenses.
   • Confiscation of the illegal goods or the materials, equipment, etc. involved in the manufacture of the goods, in favour of the State.
3. Sections 57–58 lay down civil remedies:
   • A consumer who suffers monetary loss due to any violation of consumer rights can file a civil suit. If the damage is determinable in monetary terms, the court may award compensation of up to five times the actual loss, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, to ensure justice.
   • The court may order the defendant to: replace the defective goods with suitable goods, accept the return of the defective goods and refund the price of the goods to the plaintiff, pay the plaintiff appropriate compensation (not exceeding five times the monetary value of the damage proven), or pay the costs of the case.

Enforcement Gaps

Despite its importance, the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 has been criticised for limiting consumers’ access to justice — namely, the lack of an independent right to access the court without the DG’s approval. Critics argue that the 30-day time limit for filing complaints and the requirement that only authorised officials can initiate court proceedings may discourage consumers and restrict their legal remedies. Combined with limited public knowledge of consumer rights, it can also take time for a consumer to realise that their rights have been violated.

Moreover, e-commerce and digital marketplace gaps persist: the 2009 Act pre-dates the boom in online shopping, and while the DNCRP has extended its administrative complaint process online through a web portal, hotline, and social media, substantive rules specific to e-commerce fraud, delivery failures, and digital payment disputes are still being developed through separate government guidelines rather than a CRPA amendment.

The persistent problem is inconsistent enforcement and low public awareness.

References:

1. Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009
2. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 1972
3. Kanak Kanti Karmakar, “Consumer Protection in Bangladesh: Legal Rights and Remedies” (2019)
4. Badsha Mia and Sujoy Mallik, International Journal of Law Management & Humanities, “Protection of Consumers’ Rights in Bangladesh: Law and Reality”
5. The Business Standard, “The Digital Commerce Operation Guideline 2021 could address many of the woes of the e-commerce sector” (2026)
6. DNCRP, Grievance Redress System
7. The Daily Star, “Putting Consumers Last” (2026)

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