BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed Blue Hyundai and Hyundai Motor India Limited to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation in addition to Rs 25,000 litigation cost to Swati Agarwal, a resident of the city, for supplying a car with a defective Apple play system.
Also, the commission directed Swati to take the car back from the workshop on condition that the Blue Hyundai and Hyundai Motor India Limited jointly and severally replace the upgraded version of the Apple Play which has connectivity with the IOS-based phones along with the car in good working condition within 60 days, from the date of the order failing which they will have to replace the car with the new car having Apple play connectively with IOS based phones.
The commission comprising President M Shobha and Member Suma Anil Kumar passed the order while partly allowing the complaint filed by Swati.
The Commission noted that the running condition of the car alone cannot be taken as the vehicle is perfect, as the car also comes with other facilities offered for convenience and good drive of the car. Therefore the non-working condition of the play system is also a cause to be considered for the working condition of the car.
Therefore the dealer and service provider here cannot say that the car is in perfect moving condition. They are liable for the other defects arising in the car as it is offered and priced more only based on the features that are demonstrated and advertised lucratively to the consumers.
The dealer and manufacturer had the responsibility to provide guidance to the complainant about the manufacturer of the Apple Play system and rectify the defect by up-grading it through the proper sources instead they just delayed and showed negligence by taking the car for service many times and giving false promises to the consumers, the commission observed.
Swati noticed the defects in the wireless Apple Play system, within a month of purchasing the Hyundai I20 in March 2021. It would randomly disconnect, sometimes reconnect at its whims which created a big challenge for her to drive in and a round city traffic in Bengaluru. Even the Google map being displayed would go off the screen leading to unforeseen confusion and panic while driving. Also while talking on the phone connected over the vehicle Bluetooth, the call would go off from the wireless randomly. Therefore, she took the car to the workshop several times but the problem has not been resolved.