Amazon, retailer fined Rs 45,000 for refund delay of faulty laptop delivered to customer

A consumer court in Delhi has imposed a total penalty of Rs 45,000 on Amazon and a retailer for taking nearly 18 months to issue a refund for a faulty laptop, reported Times of India. The Delhi East District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, led by President S S Malhotra along with members Rashmi Bansal and Ravi Kumar, emphasized Amazon’s responsibility to ensure the sale of authentic, defect-free products, as well as promptly addressing issues by replacing faulty items and issuing refunds. The commission criticized Amazon for failing to provide the pick-up slip promptly, labeling it as an “unfair trade practice” because it leaves customers without evidence of the item being collected by the correct individual.

During the commission hearing, a customer filed a complaint asserting that the delay in receiving a refund constituted “deficiency in service” and requested compensation. The complainant further contended that Amazon fails to provide any receipt upon the return of orders.

Because Amazon’s written statement was submitted after the statutory period, the commission ruled that it would not be considered and denied Amazon the chance to present evidence, stated the ToI news report. The other party, Appario Retail, failed to appear despite being served a notice, leading to proceedings against them in absentia. Highlighting that the customer’s laptop was delivered on October 29, 2021, and picked up ten days later despite a return request made on the delivery day, the commission noted an email from December 2021 wherein Amazon notified the complainant that the pick-up had not been confirmed.

The commission, based on Amazon’s “Conditions of Use and Conditions of Sale between Seller and Customer”, stated that the e-commerce platform was the principal seller and Appario was its agent. According to the panel, Amazon does not have any “foolproof grievance redressal mechanism” and there is “nothing on record that shows details of its officers or of the seller”.

The commission issued a specific directive to Amazon, requiring the company to ensure that receipts for pick-up items are provided to customers. Additionally, Amazon was instructed to display on its website the details of officers responsible for addressing customer grievances.