Flipkart Slapped With Fine For Selling Faulty Mobile Charger 

Hyderabad: Flipkart has been directed to pay a fine of Rs15,000 by a district consumer forum for selling a faulty mobile charger to a customer which damaged his cell phone.

The complainant Dr. Ahmed AQ Irfani said that when he plugged the charger into the power socket and connected to the cable to his phone, the wires in the phone got burnt in less than 10 minutes causing damage and making his phone irreparable. The petitioner bought the phone charger in January 2016 for Rs259.

“When I complained to Flipkart, they offered to replace the faulty charger, but refused to compensate for the damage caused to my phone. They suggested that the device could have been damaged because of the surge in power, but it was clearly mentioned on the charger that it's capable of withstanding power fluctuations ranging between 100 volts and 240 volts," said Irfani.

Dr. Irfani

When I complained to Flipkart, they offered to replace the faulty charger, but refused to compensate for the damage caused to my phone

However, Flipkart contented that it has no control over the quality of products and only acts as an intermediary between various sellers and buyers facilitating sale and purchase of various products.

"The complainant purchased the product through Flipkart and therefore there exists a relationship of a consumer and the service provider between the two. When the battery charger had a wide range of 110 volts to 240 volts, it is not probable that the power surge would have damaged the mobile phone. In such facts and circumstances of the case, the complainant is entitled not only for the refund of the amount paid for the charger but to a reasonable compensation," said the bench.