SHIVAMOGGA: Deficiency in service has proven costly for Flipkart as the e-commerce giant has been asked to pay a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for failing to deliver the right product to its customer and not replacing the wrong product with the right one despite the customer approaching the company several times.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has found Flipkart Internet Private Limited, its co-founder and executive director Sachin Bansal and e-Kart, guilty of deficiency in service and cheating the customer.
It all started when customer Vadiraraja Rao ordered for an SG Player Edition English Willow Cricket Bat from his mobile phone in 2017.
A delivery boy of e-Kart delivered a parcel after collecting Rs 6,074 on April 10, 2017. When Rao opened the parcel, it contained a black coat instead of the cricket bat. Rao approached Flipkart to replace the product.
Despite several requests, Flipkart failed to replace the product. Later, Rao approached the consumer forum on May 13 this year and lodged a case seeking compensation from Flipkart.
A bench of the forum comprising C M Chanchala and Manjula H heard the arguments and found Flipkart, its co-founder and the courier service guilty.
The forum delivered the judgment on Wednesday. The forum asked Flipkart to deliver the right product to the petitioner in six weeks.
It also directed the respondents to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the consumer for the deficiency in service, mental agony the consumer went through and expenditure the consumer made towards the petition.
If Flipkart and other respondents fail to pay the compensation, they will have to pay the same with an annual interest of 10 per cent.
The forum observed that Flipkart and other respondents followed unethical practices and cheated the customer. Hence, the forum also asked the respondents to remit Rs 50,000 towards Consumer Forum Welfare Fund within a week.