Chandigarh consumer commission pulls up manufacturer, seller over faulty AC

Complainant Naveen Sharma, of Sector 21-A, Chandigarh, filed a complaint against three firms, including Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bathla Teletech Private Limited, Ludhiana, and Samsung India Electronics Private Limited, Mohali

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, directed a Mohali-based firm and a Ludhiana-based firm to address the complaint of a city resident who was delivered a faulty air-conditioner (AC) in 2021. Failing to do so within 30 days, the duo shall pay a lumpsum amount of ₹5,000 to the complainant for causing mental agony and harassment, the forum directed.

The commission directed Bathla Teletech Private Limited, Ludhiana, and Samsung India Electronics Private Limited, Mohali, to attend to the problems, concerning the malfunctioning AC, faced by the complainant as mentioned in his complaint. (Getty Images/Purestock)

Complainant Naveen Sharma, of Sector 21-A, filed a complaint against three firms, including Flipkart Internet Private Limited, through its authorised representatives in Bangalore and Chandigarh, Bathla Teletech Private Limited, Ludhiana, and Samsung India Electronics Private Limited, Mohali.

Sharma alleged that he bought a Samsung AC for ₹30,000 on EMI that an agent of Flipkart delivered on June 3, 2021.

He said as the AC stopped working he contacted the customer care services of Flipkart regarding the non-functioning but the complaint was not redressed. He then contacted Samsung but it also refused to entertain any of the issues.

At last, he filed a consumer complaint. In the commission, Flipkart contested that the actual seller of the product was a third-party seller. It was submitted that the alleged defect was a manufacturing defect and Flipkart was not involved in the entire transaction except for providing the online platform for the transaction(s), and contracts concerning sale and purchase were between the seller and the buyer.

Meanwhile, nobody appeared on behalf of Bathla Teletech Private Limited, Ludhiana, therefore, it proceeded ex-parte on August 28, 2023.

Samsung India Electronics Private Limited, Mohali, alleged that it has an online system to enter all claims/complaints in each case but in the present complaint, no details were found in the online system of the company, which means that the complainant never registered any complaint with any of their service centres.

In its order, the commission directed Bathla Teletech Private Limited, Ludhiana, and Samsung India Electronics Private Limited, Mohali, to attend to the problems, concerning the malfunctioning AC, faced by the complainant as mentioned in his complaint.