Consumer commission directs Samsung to refund Rs 50K for faulty refrigerator

The assessment of the price of a refrigerator lesser than its actual depreciated price amounts to unfair trade practice. Observing this, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed Samsung company to refund Rs 50,000 to a city resident after the refrigerator he purchased started giving problems within the warranty period of five years.

In his complaint, Sandeep Singh Thakur said he purchased the refrigerator on May 30, 2017, for Rs 75,500. The refrigerator started giving problems from the beginning. The first complaint was lodged on November 15, 2021, when it suddenly stopped working. He said when the complaint was lodged, some spare parts were replaced by the company and he paid Rs 3,500 for the parts as well as visiting charges of executives.

The refrigerator faced the same problem again two months later and stopped working. The executive got it repaired on a temporary basis and took Rs 4,000 as repair and visiting charges. When the problem was not resolved, he requested the company to replace the refrigerator, but the company refused to do so.

The company offered a coupon for Rs 16,000 but he refused, saying that it was a manufacturing defect. The company then raised the amount to Rs 22,000, and after a few days of communication, it again raised the amount to Rs 26,425.

The complainant appealed to the commission to direct that the faulty refrigerator be replaced and sought compensation for agony and harassment.

On the other hand, Samsung denied the allegations and stated that the refrigerator worked properly till the first complaint lodged by the complainant in 2022, i.e. almost five years from the purchase date — May 30, 2017. There was no manufacturing defect and its counsel said the complainant had failed to prove the manufacturing fault as there was no analysis test report.

After hearing the arguments, the commission said the company gave warranty of the compressor for five years. The product became dysfunctional  years ago, hence, the depreciation calculated by the company on account of being a seven-year-old fridge was not justified as the same at that time was less than a five-year-old product.

Hence, the offer of refund for Rs 26,425 was lesser in view of its purchase value. The commission said that the calculation/assessment of the price of a refrigerator lesser than its actual depreciated price amounted to unfair trade practice. The company was directed to refund Rs 50,000 to the complainant, along with interest @6% per annum from the date of filing of the complaint.