Flipkart FINED for not delivering mobile phone after receiving payment-- Read details here

New Delhi: The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has fined e-commerce behemoth Flipkart for failing to fulfill a customer's request for a smartphone or mobile phone even after the buyer had made the full money in advance.

In a recent ruling, the commission ordered the online retailer to pay a fine of Rs 20,000, a legal expense reimbursement of Rs 10,000, and a sum equal to Rs 12,499 (the cost of the mobile phone). M. Shobha, the chairperson, and Renukadevi Deshpande, a member, rendered the judgment. (Also Read: 

Divyashree J., a resident of Bengaluru's Rajajinagar neighbourhood, filed a complaint in the matter against Flipkart, claiming that she had ordered a Rs 12,499 mobile phone from the e-commerce site on January 15, 2022, with delivery scheduled for the next day.

She claimed that although the company had received the whole cash, they had not given her the smartphone. Flipkart chose not to send a representation to the commission despite receiving notification from the court. 

According to the Bengaluru Consumer Court's ruling, Flipkart not only displayed "complete incompetence" in terms of customer service but also engaged in unethical behaviour. The ruling also stated that because the customer's phone was delayed in being given to her, she had experienced both financial loss and "mental stress."

The order said that the customer had repeatedly contacted customer care and had paid installments without receiving the mobile.