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A consumer court in Mumbai fined Flipkart Rs 10,000 for refusing the return of a substandard product, citing its “no return policy”.
After Flipkart delivered substandard product to a Mumbai woman, she demanded Rs 50 lakh in compensation. (Representative image: Getty)
A consumer court in Mumbai has ordered Bengaluru-based e-commerce company Flipkart and one of its sellers to pay Rs 10,000 in compensation to a woman after they allegedly delivered a substandard product and later denied her return request.
The court ruled that Flipkart’s refusal to accept the return of the product, citing its “no return policy”, constituted an unfair trade practice and a deficiency in service, as reported by the Bar and Bench.
What has happened?
Taruna Rajput, who lives in Goregaon, purchased 13 containers of Herbalife Nutrition Fresh Energy Drink Mix (lemon-flavoured) from Flipkart for Rs 4,641 on October 9. When the package arrived on October 14, she noticed discrepancies with the product: the label lacked a QR code, and the colour and texture were off. Upon realising she had received a substandard item, she attempted to return it, but Flipkart rejected her request due to its “no return policy”.
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Unable to get a satisfactory resolution from customer care, Taruna Rajput escalated the matter to the consumer court, filing a complaint against Flipkart and the seller.
What did the consumer court say?
After examining photographs of the counterfeit product and screenshots of her conversations with Flipkart’s customer care, the court ruled in her favour.
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“We, therefore, observe that not taking back the said product by the Opposite Party nos.1 and 5 on the ground of ‘no return policy’ amounts to the adoption of an unfair trade practice on the part of the Opposite Party nos.1 and 5. Since the Opposite Party no. 5 has failed either to replace or pay the value thereof to the Complainant, therefore there is a deficiency service on the part of the Opposite Party number 5 is proved,” the consumer court said.
However, the court dismissed Rajput’s demand for Rs 50 lakh in damages, instead ordering Flipkart and the seller to refund Rs 4,641 with 9 per cent interest from October 21, 2023, until the payment is made. Additionally, the court directed them to pay ₹10,000 to cover Rajput’s legal costs.
