THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Alappuzha state disputes redressal commission has ordered a car dealer to pay a compensation of Rs 3,000 to a man who received a police memo on his vehicle which was already exchanged for a new car with the dealer.
The complainant Mathew Eapen of Edathua was suffering from multiple ailments. So in December 2012, he returned his car to Geeyam Motors, Nettoor, Kochi, and purchased a brand new car for her daughter. As per the complainant, the dealer had assured him that the name of ownership would be changed within seven days after obtaining the signature on necessary forms.
All the original documents of the old vehicle were handed over at the time of purchase of new car. However, Mr Eapen received charge memo from the police department. With this, he approached the consumer forum seeking compensation. The dealer denied all the allegations by the complainant and said that he was not their customer especially since the car wasn’t purchased against his name. Also, the representative who dealt with Mr Eapen was not their staffer.
However, the forum was of the view that the case merited acceptance. The court observed that dealers promote exchange to promote sales of their new vehicles and the complainant deserved compensation. Hence, the dealer was ordered to pay a compensation of Rs 3,000 apart from Rs 1,500 as cost.
