Forum penalises insurance company

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, February 19

The District Consumer Forum, Almora, has ordered Bajaj Allianz company to pay insurance amount along with 8 per cent interest as compensation for inconvenience caused to a consumer. It has also ordered a mobile phone service center to pay Rs 16,000 for not repairing or replacing a phone of a consumer that he had purchased on the Snapdeal online marketplace and had become non-functional within a month.In the first case, the consumer court has ordered payment of insurance amount to the customer to which the insurance company had refused to pay the insurance amount citing wrong age of Chanda Bano, claimant and resident of Bhikiasain.

The consumer court headed by forum chairperson, Justice Gyanendra Kumar Sharma, held that the company did not mention the same reasons for the non-payment of the insurance amount as told to the customer in the affidavit submitted in the court. It ordered payment of the insurance amount along with Rs 5,000 to the customer within a month.

In another case, the consumer court imposed a fine of Rs 16,000 on a Samsung service centre. It said the centre would have to pay to the customer Rs 8,990, cost of the mobile phone, along with Rs 4,000 as compensation for inconvenience caused and Rs 3,000 as amount of litigation.

“In this case the company’s service centre due to its negligent attitude caused inconvenience and mental pain to Chandra Joshi, a resident of the Selakhola locality in Almora town, by not exchanging or repairing the mobile phone set purchased through the Snapdeal online marketplace despite several requests made by him,” said Lila Joshi, member of the consumer forum, Almora.