Visakhapatnam District Consumers Forum tells Reliance to pay compenstion
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam District Consumers Forum-I has directed Reliance Digital Retail Limited and United India Insurance Company and two others to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation to a consumer with an additional Rs 24,899 the cost of the mobile phone and another Rs 2,500 as legal litigation on the grounds that they failed to carry out the repair works of the mobile phone within the extended warranty period.
M.V.V. Rajendra, 45, of Kurmanapalem in Vizag had visited Reliance Digital showroom at Maddilapalem in February 2013 with a view to purchase a mobile phone and asked the salesman of the showroom about the availability of discount or freebies.
He was informed that Reliance was exclusively providing an ‘Extended Warranty’ on mobile phones for another year for Rs 746.97, but currently as there was a special offer, he could avail the extended warranty benefit with a payment of only one rupee. He was also assured that Reliance would carry out repairs in case of any problem with the mobile phone for an additional 12 months in the extended warranty period, after the initial 18 months' original warranty.
Convinced by the salesman’s sales pitch, Mr Rajendra purchased a Blackberry mobile by paying Rs 24,899 and Rs 1 for the extended warranty on the same day. After 20 months, the mobile started giving trouble while charging.
In November 2014, Mr Rajendra approached the authorised service centre and was informed there was a problem in the motherboard of the mobile and it had to be replaced. They further added that no service or repair could be done under the warranty. So after repairing the mobile, they collected Rs 220 from him.
When the mobile still did not work, the complainant informed the company that the mobile was under extended warranty, but was told that the mobile warranty was only for 18 months and there was no extended warranty.
The complainant then approached Reliance Digital Retail Limited office in March 2015 along with the bill but after seeing the bill, they changed their version and stated that it was not extended warranty but insurance that he was provided for Rs 1.
The complainant argued that there was a clear mention of extended warranty in the bill and how could they call it insurance. He demanded that they send the mobile for repairs but Reliance Digital refused to do so.
He then approached the consumer forum.
The forum members led by president C.V. Surya Bhaskaram and member K.V. Maheswari held that there was clear deficiency of service on the part of the showroom personnel.
They further added that as the showroom personnel did not inform the complainant about the mobile being covered by insurance, deficiency of service was proven.
The forum ordered the opposite parties to pay the cost of the mobile besides Rs 5,000 as compensation and Rs 2,500 as money spent by the aggrieved party on legal litigation.
