Zara penalised for selling defective leather jacket

Tribune News Service

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Spanish clothing and accessories retailer Zara has been told to pay Rs 12,000 to a customer by a consumer court for selling a defective leather jacket at Elante Mall. The forum ordered to refund the invoice price of Rs 6,000 besides Rs 3000 as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment to the complainant. It also asked to pay Rs 3,000 as litigation cost.

As per complaint Sative Chauhan, a native of Shimla, he purchased a black faux leather jacket from Zara for Rs 6,000 on September 24, 2014. The jacket was stored with due care in a cupboard with other jackets but when it was checked after some time, bubbling was found in the leather material. 

The complainant alleged that despite various complaints, Zara failed to find a solution to the problem. Even a legal notice was served on Zara last year before filing the complaint.

In its reply to the forum, Zara stated that the defect might be either a result of mishandling or carelessness on the part of the complainant or due to the fungus or termite attack. It further contended that as per their policy, the amount can be refunded or the product could be exchanged only within a month of its purchase but the complainant reported the problem nearly after 11 months.

The court stated, “We are of the view that if a big fashion retailer like Zara will treat its customers in this manner by selling products with questionable material and provide no support to the customers during its use, it will result in injustice to the customer. The act of the company in selling a substandard product with the exploitive 30 days refund policy shows deficient service and their involvement in an unfair trade practice.”