HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mahabubnagar directed a Samsung Service Centre to either pay Rs 25,000 compensation and repair the faulty refrigerator or pay Rs 50,000 as repair charges to avoid compensation for selling a defective product.
The complainant, A Govardhan Reddy, purchased a Samsung refrigerator for Rs 1.56 lakh from Reliance Retail Ltd in 2019. After four years, the fridge started malfunctioning despite its 10-year warranty. Reddy approached Reliance Retail, which directed him to Samsung’s Service Centre to rectify the issue. However, the service centre neither repaired the fridge nor provided a proper response, Reddy claimed.
The Consumer Forum noted that Samsung failed to contest the matter despite being issued notices, indicating negligence in service. Based on Reddy’s evidence, it was clear that the refrigerator was under warranty, and the Forum found a deficiency in service on Samsung’s part.
The Commission ordered the Service Centre to comply within 30 days of the order (dated October 24), or face a six percent annual interest on Rs 50,000, along with returning the defective refrigerator to Reddy.