Thiruvananthapuram: Car dealer ordered to refund token advance

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (KSCDRC) has directed a car dealer to refund the token advance it had denied to a woman who wanted to cancel an order for a hatchback.

As per the complainant, Kumari Prabha of Sreekariyam, her late husband Bhaskaran Pillai had booked a red Swift VDI car in December 2011, paying an amount of Rs 10,000 to a dealer at Pattom.

At the time of booking, the waiting period they fixed was five months, and the on-road price was Rs 6.35 lakh. The vehicle was not ready after promised time and her husband passed away in June 2012.

Soon after the death, the dealer told Mrs Prabha to collect the car, but she informed she would take delivery after two weeks as she was mourning her husband’s death.

Finally, on July 25, 2012, she arranged for finance through her bank. On the same day, she was informed that the car price had been increased by around Rs 50,000, but she agreed to pay it.

However, the assistant sales manager told her that her preferred red colour car was already sold to another person. They asked her to wait for another eight months to get the same.

With this, she requested a refund which was denied. She approached Thiruvananthapuram District Consumer Redressal Forum alleging unfair trade practice.

The dealer contested that the woman had not demanded two weeks time for taking delivery after her husband’s time and said the car was sold to another person who was waiting after booking.

However, the forum directed the dealer to refund the advance along with Rs 25,000 compensation. During an appeal, the commission also ordered to return her money but with 9%  interest till the date of realisation.