Consumer Protection under the Consumer Case Procedure Law of Thailand

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly buying and selling goods or services online. Business operators are also increasingly competitive. This has led to business operators finding strategies to entice consumers to buy their products. However, some business operators use incorrect strategies that have caused damage to consumers. Consumers’ claims for damage must go through the court process. However, in Thailand, most business operators have more bargaining power than consumers, and most business operators usually have more money to spend on litigation than consumers. As a result, consumers who have been damaged do not file lawsuits in court and do not receive compensation for the damage. Therefore, to help reduce this problem, Thailand has enacted a specific Consumer Procedure Act. This article discusses Thailand’s Consumer Case Procedure Act and analyze its advantages. The analysis found that the Consumer Case Procedure Act, B.E. 2551 has various criteria that are beneficial to consumers in filing lawsuits, starting from procedure in court of first instance, appeal and dika appeal. Therefore, relevant agencies, such as the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the Consumers Council, or the courts, should provide more knowledge on consumer litigation under the Consumer Case Procedure Act, B.E. 2551 to consumers.