Autopace fined Rs 50,000 for deficiency in service

Chandigarh, January 25

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I, Chandigarh, has ordered city-based Autopace Network Private Limited to pay Rs 50,000 to the complainant for deficiency in service on its part.

Forum president Rattan Singh Thakur and member Surjeet Kaur also ordered the firm to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for harassment caused to him and Rs 10,000 as litigation cost.

Panchkula-based Sunil Mallick had purchased a Maruti Alto 800 LXi car on July 28, 2016, from Chandigarh-based Autopace Network Private Limited against the payment of Rs 3.21 lakh. He alleged that the very next day of purchase, he noticed colour of bumpers and body of the car mismatched and there was abnormal sound from the engine and also vibration.

The matter was reported to the Panchkula branch of Autopace Network Private Limited, which is also an authorised dealer of Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

Admitting to the glitches, Autopace Network agreed to replace the vehicle with a new one. However, it was not replaced. On covering the distance of 907 km, the vehicle was taken to the workshop of its Panchkula outlet for replacement. However, without any authority from the complainant, the car was sent to the showroom’s Chandigarh branch as there was abnormal sound from the engine.

On October 5, 2016, the car was lifted and chamber of the engine was opened by mechanics, who were also dismantling a second-hand Alto car parked near Sunil’s car. Shocked, he videographed the episode and also informed the police who recorded the incident in their daily diary report.

The next day, a senior engineer certified there was manufacturing problem in the engine and despite the manufacturing defect, the car was not replaced and the vehicle was lying in Autopace’s Chandigarh workshop. Manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited denied any manufacturing defect in the vehicle in question and so did Autopace’s city and Panchkula branch.

Forum appoints team

Perusal of the record showed that the complainant had moved an application for inspection of the vehicle from mechanical engineering experts and on reference made by this forum, a team was constituted under the orders of the Head, Mechanical Engineering Department, PEC University of Technology, which had examined the vehicle in the presence of the complainant. After inspection and test drive, the committee was of the opinion that the vehicle in question did not have any abnormal sound from the engine and vibration.

On inspection made by Dr Sushant Samir, Professor; Prof Ankit Yadav, Assistant Professor Mechanical Engineering Department, PEC, Chandigarh; and Gopal Dass, their report dated October 16, 2018, had concluded: “After inspection and test drive, the committee is of the opinion that the vehicle in question does not have any abnormal sound from the engine and vibration in the car.”

Video evidence

A perusal of letters showed Autopace, Chandigarh, had regretted the inconvenience caused due to abnormal noise from the vehicle. Sunil’s video of company’s employees further augmented that the parts of the old vehicle were being replaced with the parts of his vehicle. The existence of such videography was denied by the company and it had also opposed the inspection of the vehicle by the team of mechanical engineers of PEC.

Perusal of the record shows that for the mechanical examination of the vehicle Rs 23,600 had to be spent by the complainant payable by way of demand draft in favour of Director, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, unnecessarily for the doubt created by own employees of the company.

From this record, we conclude that there was no manufacturing defect in the vehicle, but the employees of OP-1 rather multiplied the suspicion in the mind of the complainant of abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. Even the police had to be informed and videography was done and repeatedly the OPs opposed the plea of inspection of the vehicle. — TNS