Flipkart, retailer ordered to pay more than ₹1.8 million after customer in Mumbai received beard oil instead of iPhone | Today’s news
The consumer court ordered Flipkart and the seller to refund the money ₹1.11 lakh and ₹70,000 in legal fees after a customer received beard oil instead of an iPhone, PTI reported on July 24.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, additional DCF, Mumbai, in an order passed earlier this month, said that repeatedly closing customer complaints without offering any solution or relief is an unfair business practice.
The customer ordered the phone through Flipkart and paid online. “Therefore, Opposite Party No. 1 had a corresponding duty to ensure that the customer received the product ordered and to provide an effective mechanism for the redressal of consumer complaints,” the Commission said.
He added that failure to investigate a complaint, recover a wrongly delivered shipment, provide a replacement or refund, and close complaints without providing any effective remedy “amounts to a clear deficiency in service and also constitutes an unfair business practice.”
The panel highlighted that the retailer International Value Retail Pvt Ltd was guilty of not delivering the contracted product and that the failure to redress the complaints contributed to the service failure. Overall, the Commission held that both the seller and the platform were jointly liable for the complaint.
The complainant, a resident of Mumbai’s Powai, purchased an iPhone 14 Pro on April 22, 2023 through Flipkart for ₹1,11,793 using no cost EMI scheme. The charger and case ordered separately were delivered, but the package that was supposed to contain the phone contained “beard growth oil”. The complainant claimed that they have approached Flipkart support repeatedly but the company did not resolve the issue and termed it as “resolved” without providing any refund or compensation.
The consumer court orders to pay ₹1.8 million
The consumer forum ordered Flipkart and the retailer to compensate the complainant ₹1,11,793 at 9% p.a., in addition ₹50,000 for mental anguish and harassment and ₹20,000 towards the legal costs within 45 days.
Apple India was also an accused party in the case. They filed a written statement arguing that the complaint is not legally or factually maintainable and deserves to be dismissed because it has no control over the conduct of individual sellers vis-à-vis their buyers. The Commission then withdrew the complaint against Apple.
