Amazon was punished in India for selling problematic products!

Recently, the Chandigarh Consumer Disputes Redressal Committee of India issued a penalty notice to Amazon.

The notice requires Amazon to refund 4,999 rupees to an Indian consumer and pay an annual interest of 9% on this amount. The committee also requires Amazon to compensate the customer for moral damages of 2,500 rupees and litigation costs of 2,500 rupees.

The reason for this penalty is that the committee believes that Amazon is responsible for "substandard product quality" and "failure to provide satisfactory solutions, etc."

The cause of the incident dates back to 2021, when an Indian consumer spent 4,499 rupees on Amazon to buy a telescope. The first telescope was delivered to the consumer on July 7, 2021. After opening the package, the consumer found that the product had quality problems , so he requested a replacement through the Amazon APP; after the replacement request was approved, the problematic product was taken away.

The second telescope was delivered to the consumer on July 15, 2021, but the product still had quality problems and did not work properly . The consumer again requested a replacement or refund through the Amazon app. Despite repeated negotiations, Amazon still did not provide a satisfactory solution and kept delaying the matter.

In view of this, the consumer filed a complaint with the Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Committee .

In response, Amazon believes that it is only a third-party online platform, not the actual seller of the goods , and that it is the third-party sellers, not itself , who should be responsible for the quality of the products. Amazon also stated that it does not provide after-sales service for goods sold on the platform , and therefore cannot provide service for problematic goods .

Based on the facts and arguments presented by both parties , the Regional Commission held that the consumer ’s claims regarding the quality issues of the goods were unquestionable and that Amazon’s participation in the transaction and its failure to ensure the delivery of defect-free products and to resolve issues in a timely manner constituted substandard service and unfair trading practices.

The regional committee also believes that Amazon's failure to properly resolve the problem has caused mental distress to consumers , so it is necessary and reasonable to provide consumers with mental compensation.

Amazon

Product Quality

India