Consumer forum issues bailable warrants against Sony MD

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 4

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has issued bailable warrant of arrest against the MD of Sony India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, for failing to appear in a case pertaining to a defective 3D LED TV purchased by a local resident since the past nearly four and a half years.

Even as the matter had been decided by the district forum and later by the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Rohit Mehra of Industrial Area had moved an appeal for execution of orders, which he alleged the company had so far not complied with.

The forum has directed Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, to arrest him. Bhupinder Singh, president of the forum, has passed orders against the company MD. “In case he furnishes a personal bond of Rs 5,000 with one surety in the like amount and undertakes to appear on the forum on May 25, he could be released on bail with a direction to appear in the forum on the date. In case he does not furnish the bond and the surety, he be brought in custody and produced before the forum soon after his arrest and before May 25.”

Mehra had filed his complaint in the district forum on September 9, 2013 against Sony India Pvt Ltd, Delhi, a local Sony centre and the company’s authorised service centre here. The plaintiff had said that he went to the showroom in September 2011 and was allured to purchase a 3D LED TV model with one year warranty and a two years of extended warranty at the cost of Rs 5,000. He said he purchased the LED on a payment of Rs 1.13 lakh on October 3, 2011. He also bought a play station worth Rs 20,000, an additional remote for it for Rs 2,990 and a camera for video chatting for Rs 4,990.

The complainant said the LED did not work properly, did not show good quality of picture and produced blurred images, causing a lot of strain on viewers. He alleged that even the camera was not working properly as pictures disappeared while chatting and the LED shut down and restarted on its own.

Upon notice, the company representative replied that the customer used the LED for more than 11 months without any defect. He said the BAT Board was to be replaced, which was done in September 2012. He said Mehra again complained via email. However, the company found the LED to be working fine. Later, in April 2013, an adapter wire connected with the LED was changed. As the complainant filed a legal notice seeking Rs 2 lakh as compensation, the main mounted PC board was replaced in May 2013. The other two parties – the showroom owner and the authorised centre did not reply and were proceeded against ex parte.

The district forum decided the case on August 8, 2014 partly accepting the complaint and issuing direction to rectify the defects free of cost within one month. A compensation of Rs 10,000, too, was announced for the complainant. Not satisfied with the orders, the plaintiff moved the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission by next month. The commission on June 11, 2015 accepted the appeal partly. It pronounced, “The company will rectify all defects in the LED in report of May 15, 2014. It will give a three-year warranty of the spare parts. The repair will be subject to satisfaction of the complainant on working of the LED. In case there is any problem with regard to the parts within six months after repair, the company will be liable to replace the LED.” After the orders were not complied with, the complainant, through his lawyer, KC Malhotra, had moved an application for the execution of orders.