TIRUPPUR: Angered by poor after-sales service, a Tiruppur man who purchased an e-bike from a private company cut a cake to register his protest as the company failed to return his bike 100 days after it was sent to the service centre.
N Santhosh Kumar (39) of Pachapalayam in Avinashi in Tiruppur runs a micro-level knitwear manufacturing company in Tiruppur.
Santhosh Kumar told TNIE, "My daily petrol expenses used to be around Rs 200. To reduce this, I purchased an e-bike from a popular brand in September 2024 for Rs 1.10 lakh, from a showroom in Thanneerpanthal area on Avinashi Road. When purchasing the bike, a warranty of five years or 80,000 km was provided."
"About three months ago, my bike developed a motor problem. Since it has a replacement warranty, I inquired at the showroom and they directed me to the service centre, located opposite the collectorate on Palladam Road. It has been over 100 days since I dropped my bike for service. I have made numerous trips to the showroom and the service centre. But so far, I have not received a proper response,' he added.
On Friday, he distributed cake to passersby in front of the showroom.
"I cannot fight against a big corporate. At the same time, I need my bike. I didn’t know what to do. Hence, I cut the cake to register my protest. We buy a product trusting the company but they refuse to provide proper response. Many others have also been affected. The government must make note of this issue."
When TNIE tried to contact the company's service centre, they disconnected the call.
A senior official of the transport department said, "Once a vehicle is registered and handed over to the applicant, the dealer and the applicant become responsible for the vehicle. Therefore, the person affected in this matter can approach the consumer court and seek relief."
K Yuvaraj, an advocate handling consumer cases in Tiruppur, said, "100 days is far too long to service a bike. If there are any issues in getting spare parts, the concerned company must provide an appropriate response to the consumer. The affected person can approach the consumer court."
