Consumer forum orders Flipkart to pay man Rs 10k for mental harassment after it cancels iPhone order
Mumbai, Mar 17: A consumer disputes redressal commission here found Flipkart guilty of adopting unfair trade practices and ordered it to pay a customer Rs 10,000 for the mental harassment he suffered after it cancelled his iPhone order.
The cancellation was intentional to make extra profit, which amounts to a deficiency in service and unfair and restrictive trade practice adopted by the online platform, said the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Central Mumbai, in the order passed last month.
The detailed order was available on Sunday.
The commission noted that though the customer had received a refund, he needed to be compensated for the mental harassment and agony he suffered because of the unilateral cancellation of his order.
As per the complainant, a Dadar resident, he ordered an iPhone from Flipkart on July, 10 2022 and paid Rs 39,628 using his credit card.
The phone was supposed to be delivered on July 12, but six days later he received an SMS from the e-commerce company that his order was cancelled.
When contacted, the company told him that their Ekart delivery boy had made several attempts to deliver the product but the complainant was unavailable and hence, the order was cancelled.
The cancellation has not only caused loss, and mental harassment but also subjected him to online fraud, the complainant said.
Flipkart's delivery partner, Ekart Logistics, was also a party to the complaint but the commission held that it is a delivery partner and there is no consumer and service provider relationship between the complainant and the logistics firm.
Flipkart, in its written response, said the complainant had mistakenly taken it as the seller of the product.
The company said it merely operates as an online platform as an intermediary, and all the products on the platform are sold and supplied by independent third-party sellers.
The seller in this case was International Value Retail Private Limited, and Flipkart had no role to play in the entire transaction entered between the complainant and the seller, it said.
The company claimed that it informed the seller of the complainant's grievance, the latter said the delivery person had made several attempts to deliver the product to the address but the complainant was unavailable and hence, the order was cancelled by the seller.
The money has been refunded and the dispute exists only between the complainant and the seller, and there is no cause of action against Flipkart, it said.
However, the commission, noted that the order was "unilaterally cancelled" by the e-commerce company that too when the complainant was constantly in touch with it and was assured that his concern was being looked into.
It further said Flipkart had not produced any proof about multiple attempts of service by it or by the seller as claimed.
The commission noted that Flipkart has admitted that the order was cancelled and the complainant was asked to place a fresh order.
This adds weight to the complainant's case that the cost of the said product had increased by around Rs 7,000 and hence the order was cancelled and he was asked to place a fresh order, it said.
The commission pointed out that Flipkart had done this intentionally to make extra profit, which amounts to a deficiency in service and unfair and restrictive trade practices adopted by it.
"Though the complainant has received the refund, he needs to be compensated for the mental harassment and agony suffered by him due to the unilateral cancellation of his order by Flipkart," it said.
The commission ordered Flipkart to pay Rs 10,000 towards compensation for the mental harassment and agony suffered by the complainant and Rs 3,000 towards the cost.
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Two more Hindu priests arrested in Bangladesh: ISKCON Kolkata
Kolkata, Nov 30: Two more Hindu priests were arrested in Bangladesh, ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das claimed on Saturday.
Speaking to PTI, Radharamn said, "I have received information that two more ISKCON monks have been arrested by police in Bangladesh."
In a post on X on Friday night, Radharamn said, "In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu's secretary is also missing. Please pray for them."
Earlier on Friday, Radharamn had posted, "Another Brahmachari, Sri Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested by Chattogram Police today."
"Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing," Radharamn posted on X on Saturday. His comments comes comes in the backdrop of unconfirmed reports of arrest of three more ISKCON monks, days after the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmay Das.
Chinmay Das, who also served as a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday by the Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War.
The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country's total population.
This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.
In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu's secretary is also missing. Please pray for them. #Bangladesh #ISKCON pic.twitter.com/NLX8hNZmpN
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) November 29, 2024
Does he look like a terrorist?#FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing. pic.twitter.com/VG6u7jlnXB
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) November 30, 2024
