CORE handles record 903 complains

CORE centre, a unit under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, has handled a record 903 complaints from consumers in Aug.

Consumer Online Resource and Empowerment (CORE) centre, a unit under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, has handled a record 903 complaints from consumers in August against 781 in July.

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The maximum complaints received in August were from Delhi, 380, followed by Maharashtra, 136, and Uttar Pradesh, 70. There were 46 complaints from West Bengal, 44 from Haryana, 29 from Gujarat, 28 from Punjab and 26 from Tamil Nadu during the month, an official release said.

Besides, complaints from within the country were received by the CORE centre about malpractice and harassment from foreigners and non-resident Indians too. It has also been noted that consumer complaints from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa and Jharkhand are also on the increase.

In August, the highest percentage of complaints received by CORE was against the service category. Telecom and banking sectors showed an upward trend in August while the complaints on product category showed a downward trend. The complaints on services in August were 25 per cent followed by telecom 22 per cent and banking 20 per cent.

On receipt of a complaint the CORE centre forwards it to the opposite party requesting them to resolve the grievance/comlpaints within 15 days. If the complaint is not resolved or no response is received from the opposite party within 15 days, a reminder is sent. The consumer will be advised to go to the consumer court as the last resort only. The CORE centre resolved 72 cases in August 2005.