Srinagar: A district consumer commission in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla has ordered a mobile phone company to replace a “defective” phone, besides paying a compensation of Rs 30,000

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) Baramulla was hearing a complaint by a consumer Irshad Ahmad Sheikh who had filed a complaint in 2015 stating that the phone he purchased malfunctioned after a few days.

The complainant said he purchased a mobile phone from a shop at Main Chowk Sopore on July 7, 2014, for Rs 5,900. However, the phone malfunctioned after a few days of purchase.

The complainant then approached the company’s service centre in Baramulla on July 20, but the phone remained unrepaired. Instead they formatted the memory card. Subsequently, the complainant moved to the service centre on July 25 which yielded no better results, and he was left with a non-functional phone.

The complainant said the issue disrupted his academic pursuits as a student at Kashmir University, rendering him unable to afford a replacement.

The Consumer Forum found the opposite parties, in this case, guilty of unfair trade practices, specifically selling a defective phone and failing to rectify the issue.

As a result, they have been ordered by the DCDRC to replace the phone and provide Irshad Ahmad Sheikh with Rs 30,000 in compensation within thirty days.

“Failure to comply will result in an annual interest rate of 9% applied to the compensation amount until it is paid,” the consumer commission order said.