What are services?

Last updated on Jun 7, 2022

Service means any activity made available to people, and it can include facilities related to banking, financing, insurance, transport, processing, provision of electrical or other energy, telecom, boarding or lodging, housing construction, entertainment, amusement or the relay of news or other information1.

‘Services’ include any activities carried out by one person for another, in return for some payment or other benefits such as gift vouchers, as part of an offer, etc. For instance, activities like haircuts, medical check-ups, packing-and-moving services, flour mills, massages, watch-repairs, etc. for payment would be considered as services. Broadly, it can be said that services include:

  • Business services: Business services are services that support the daily functioning and activity of any business, such as technological setup, website hosting, call centers, banking, transport service, telecom etc.
  • Personal services: Personal services are usually more individualistic in nature, such as catering, hotel accommodation, medicine, painting, sculpting etc.
  • Social services: Social services are usually funded by the Government, and include services such as housing, medical care to the underprivileged, primary education etc.

Services that are free of charge

Further, services that are free of charge2,  are usually not covered under consumer protection laws3. In other words, unpaid services which are provided informally, rather than with an expectation of a fee, are not covered under consumer protection law. For example, if someone goes to a doctor for a medical check-up, but being an acquaintance, the doctor does not charge any fee, the patient cannot later sue the doctor for any deficiency of service, as it had been provided free of charge. However, a traveller buying a ticket for a train is a consumer, and can sue the railways for any deficiency of service including bad food service, bad hygiene standards etc((Commentary on Consumer Protection Act, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, accessed at, http://ncdrc.nic.in/bare_acts/1_1_2.html.

 

  1. Section 2(42), Consumer Protection Act, 2019.[]
  2. Section 2(42), Consumer Protection Act, 2019.[]
  3. Joint Labour Commissioner and Registering Officer and Another v. Kesar Lal, AIR 2020 SC 2596.[]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Related Resources

Consumer Complaint Forums

The consumer protection law specifies relevant authorities and complaint forums that can be approached if consumer rights are violated.

Punishments for Consumer Rights Violations

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has the power to penalize an individual or entity for violating consumer rights.

Mediation as a mode of Consumer Dispute Settlement

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has introduced mediation, when there is a scope of settlement between the parties.

Procedure to file a consumer complaint

A complaint can be filed electronically to the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism portal (INGRAM), or offline with the consumer protection authorities such as district or state commissions to seek relief for consumer rights violations.

Types of Consumer Complaints

Complaints may be filed regarding e-services, misleading advertisements, restrictive trade practices, spurious/defective goods, food etc.

Consumer Protection Authorities

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) aims to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers collectively.