Not repairing damaged mobile costs company dear

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune news service
Chandigarh, May 5

Not repairing a damaged mobile phone within validity of the offered scheme has cost company dear.

Terming the act as a deficiency of service, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, directed M/s One Assist Consumer Solutions Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, to get the mobile phone of the complainant repaired free of cost.

The commission also directed the firm to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to the consumer for mental agony and harassment, and Rs 5,500 as cost of litigation.

Shobha Bharti, a resident of Zirakpur, had approached the commission after the company refused to entertain her complaint.

Shobha said she had purchased a Samsung A-30 mobile phone from a shop in Mohali on March 23, 2019 for Rs 16,990 by taking loan from M/s Home Credit India Finance Pvt Ltd.

The phone was insured with M/s One Assist Consumer Solutions Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, against theft, physical damage, burglary and liquid damage for the period from March 23, 2019 to March 21, 2020, she said.

Shobha said her mobile phone was damaged on December 7, 2019 following which she approached Assist Consumer Solutions Private Ltd to get it repaired. However, the company rejected the claim without assigning any reason, she said.

In its reply, M/s One Assist Consumer Solutions Pvt Ltd stated that it was not liable to pay any claim and it was only required to facilitate the registering and processing the claim with the insurance company. It is the insurance company which was to settle the claim, said the Mumbai-based firm.

The company stated that the mobile phone was insured with HDFC Ergo and it had provided the service to the complainant by processing the claim.

The company also alleged that the phone was damaged due to the negligence of the complainant so it was not covered in the scheme.

After hearing the arguments, the commission said the phone of the consumer was damaged within the validity of the Mobile Device Protection Membership Program offered by the company.

Not repairing the phone is deficiency of service and unfair trade practice, the commission observed and directed the company to get the mobile phone repaired and pay compensation and litigation cost to the consumer.