After a Jalandhar resident spent over two years chasing repairs for a faulty air conditioner, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has come down heavily on Reliance Retail and Samsung India.
The Commission held them guilty of deficiency in service and ordered a full refund with 6 per cent interest along with compensation and litigation costs for the prolonged consumer’s harassment.
The complaint was filed by Rajesh Sharma, who purchased a Samsung 1.5 ton split AC for Rs 44,789 from a Reliance Retail outlet in Jalandhar in May 2019. Within weeks, the cooling system malfunctioned. He lodged his first complaint with the company’s customer care in June 2019 during the warranty period.
Despite multiple service requests, the problem persisted. Technicians visited several times, replaced parts and repeatedly refilled gas but the cooling failure recurred. Records placed before the Commission showed that complaints were lodged continuously from June 2019 through 2021, including during peak summer months when the AC was needed the most.
Even after the warranty period ended, the consumer was asked to pay for repairs. In July 2021, when the issue surfaced again, his complaint was closed after he was refused to pay further repair charges.
The Commission observed that the AC began malfunctioning within a short time of purchase and continued to show the same defect despite repeated repairs.
Rejecting Samsung India’s stand that all complaints were attended and that the product was out of warranty, the commission held that warranty conditions cannot override consumer rights under the law.
Holding Reliance Retail, Samsung India and the authorised service centre jointly and severally liable, the commission directed them to refund the full cost of the AC that is Rs 44,789 along with 6 per cent annual interest from the date of purchase until realisation. Additionally, the Commission awarded Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses.
