VIRUDHUNAGAR: Citing unfair trade practices, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Srivilliputhur imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on a Gujarat-based online watch trader for sending a different brand’s watch to a customer, instead of the one he had ordered from the website.
The panel further levied a fine of Rs 60k on the watch seller and a Bangalore-based firm that manufactured the watch.
The verdict was issued by the Commission’s president SJ Chakkkaravarthy and member M Muthulakshmi on a petition filed by one A Boanarkesh, a Srivilliputhur resident, against the proprietor of the online company and the manager of the watch manufacturer
On November 14, 2023, the petitioner placed an order for a premium watch, with a black leather strap, priced at Rs 699 on the website. On November 23, the watch was delivered upon payment. However, the petitioner found that the delivered watch was not what he had ordered.
The panel observed that the respondents used the online platform to gain profit by way of unfair trade practices.
"By displaying the photographs of a particular brand on the website, the respondents mislead and tempted the petitioner to purchase the watch, which amounts to misleading advertising. The respondents further failed to provide the reason for sending the wrong brand watch," the panel stated.
The panel further added that the respondents would have deceived innumerable consumers across the country through its misleading advertising. It directed the trader to pay Rs 2 lakh as punitive damages to the Tamil Nadu State Welfare Fund Corpus within six weeks.
Further, both respondents were directed to jointly or individually pay the compensation of Rs 50,000 to the petitioner for causing mental agony and stress, and Rs 10,000 as litigation expenses.