Hyderabad: A consumer forum in Bengaluru has found fault with online shopping giants, Flipkart and WS Retail, for their failure to honour a commitment vis-a-vis delivery of products, and ordered payment of hefty compensation by way of damages to an online consumer.
The case related to an online booking for Moto phones in 2014 — made by Chetan Annadani Manjunatha, from the city of Bengaluru. The 3rd Additional Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, in its ruling on July 27, said there was a deficiency of service on the part of Flipkart and WS Retail.
It ordered the two to deliver seven Moto phones at the rate of the original offer of Rs 1,500 apiece, within 15 days, and also pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 towards damages caused due to unilateral cancellation of an order, and Rs 2,000 towards cost of the litigation, to the complainant.
The forum refused to buy the argument of Flipkart that it functioned like a shopping mall, where shops set up by traders sell their products and, and as such, Flipkart was not responsible for the transactions between buyer and seller, and it was not liable to compensate customers.
The complainant said on October 6, 2014, Filpkart had hosted the “The Big Billion Day” and as per policy there was to be no cancellation or refund for bookings placed on that day.
Mr Manjunatha placed orders for a TV priced at Rs 18,040, a phone worth
Rs 5,499, seven other phones worth Rs 1,500 each and a Godrej single door refrigerator worth Rs 13,550. About 10.38pm, the complainant received an SMS from Flipkart that Rs 500 had been credited to his account in Flipkart as a token of appreciation. When Mr Manjunatha called the helpline he was told there was a glitch and a price error for those products — which is why his orders were cancelled.
