Consumer court orders refund and compensation for defective earphone

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has directed a headphone manufacturing company and its authorised seller to pay a total of Rs 13,899 to a city resident, Raj Kumar, for failing to replace a faulty headphone within the warranty period.

Raj Kumar had purchased the headphone on June 10, 2019, from Shreyash Retail Private Limited, the authorised seller of M/s Harman International (India) Pvt Ltd Bangalore, for Rs 899 including taxes, with a one-year warranty. The headphone stopped working on January 28, 2020, within the warranty period.

Despite approaching the service centre, Flextron-ics Technologies India Pvt Ltd., and requesting the company, seller, and service centre to resolve the issue, Raj Kumar was informed that the product was out of warranty due to physical damage, which he disputed.

The commission found that the company’s plea of physical damage was not sustainable due to the lack of a test report. As a result, the commission directed the company and seller to refund the cost of the product, Rs 899, pay interest at 6 per cent per annum from the date of filing the complaint until the date of actual realisation and pay a lump sum compensation of Rs 5,000 to the consumer.

The company and seller were proceeded against ex-parte, as they failed to appear before the commission despite being served notices.