Consumer commission imposes Rs 35,000 fine on Amazon, retailer
New Delhi, Mar 26: Observing that Amazon does not have an appropriate grievance redressal mechanism and has "one-sided oppressive" sale terms, a consumer commission here has imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on the online seller and one of its retailers for deficiencies in services.
The commission has also directed Amazon to provide a foolproof and transparent grievance redressal mechanism to customers.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (East Delhi) was hearing a complaint from a person for the inordinate delay of around a year and five months in refunding the price of a defective laptop.
The laptop worth Rs 77,990, ordered through Amazon Seller Services Private Limited, was sold by retailer Appario Retail Private Limited, the complaint said, adding that the delay in getting the refund for the product caused the consumer mental agony and harassment.
"This commission is of the firm view that opposite party 1 (Amazon), who accepts orders from customers, places the orders to the third party and concludes the contract once the goods are delivered, is not a simple intermediary," the commission, headed by president S S Malhotra, said.
The commission, also comprising members Rashmi Bansal and Ravi Kumar, took note of the evidence before it, according to which the refund was initiated "almost after one year and five months after much deliberation by the complainant".
"It is also established that OP1 is not having an appropriate grievance redressal mechanism and phone numbers of the concerned persons are not provided on its website, which amounts to a deficiency of service on its part. This is also observed from the terms and conditions (titled 'Conditions of Use') of OP1 that it has been using one-sided oppressive terms of contract which amounts to unfair trade practice on its part," the commission said.
As the retailer or second opposite party (OP2) sold a defective product, it was also liable for deficiencies in service, it added.
"OP1 and OP2 are directed to pay compensation to the complainant for its deficient service and unfair trade practice that has caused mental agony and harassment to the complainant to the tune of Rs 35,000," the commission said in a recent order.
It also asked them to pay Rs 10,000 as litigation costs.
Regarding future sale transactions, the commission directed Amazon "to make the provisions for handing over the receipt of the pick-up item to the customers" to provide a "safe and secure pickup" to the customers.
Amazon was also directed "to display on its site the complete detail of the officers dealing with the grievances of the complainants or customers and provide a foolproof transparent grievance redressal mechanism".
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Rupee settles 1 paisa higher to close at 94.15 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee settled with gains of just one paisa to close at 94.15 against the US dollar on Monday, as rising global uncertainty, escalating tensions in West Asia and soaring crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiments.
Forex traders said the INR/USD pair pared its initial losses, but the overall bias remains negative as FII sell-off and elevated crude oil prices restricted the gains for the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.25 against the US dollar, and touched an intraday high of 94.11 and a low of 94.28 against the greenback during the day.
At the end of Monday's trading session, the rupee was quoted at 94.15, registering a gain of just 1 paisa over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee extended its losing streak for the fifth day in a row, depreciating 15 paise to close at 94.16 against the US dollar.
"The rupee snapped a five-session losing streak, rebounding in tandem with a rally across regional currencies. However, the mood remains apprehensive as the market braces for a potential RBI intervention around 94.30 and higher crude oil prices," said Dilip Parmar – Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities.
On the charts, the USDINR pair has reclaimed its upward momentum, carving out a classic bullish structure of higher highs and lows on the daily time frame, he said, adding that for the coming sessions, 93.80 serves as a support, with 94.40 acting as the primary hurdle.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.21 per cent at 98.32.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 2.36 per cent at USD 107.82 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 639.42 points to settle at 77,303.63, while the Nifty surged 194.75 points to 24,092.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 1,151.48 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, India's forex reserves jumped by USD 2.362 billion to USD 703.308 billion during the week ended April 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday.
In the previous reporting week, the forex kitty had increased by USD 3.825 billion to USD 700.946 billion.
