DTH service provider fined Rs 50,000

A consumer forum here has ordered a direct-broadcast satellite service provider to pay Rs 50,000 compensation for defective equipment supplied to a customer.
Complainant Tarunkumar Sinha of city's Kolshet Road told the Thane District Consumer Redressal Forum that he had bought the satellite broadcast system from Dish TV India Ltd on July 17, 2005, by paying Rs 5,000 and a refundable deposit of Rs 2,490.
He informed the forum that the equipment was erratic in its function and he had complained to the company about it.
The complainant also said he had chosen Oriya language and got the visual card for the same which was not proper and he could not view the channels chosen by him.

After persistent complaints, the company informed the him that the RF cable given with the dish was defective and was replaced.
The company had promised to provide 120 channels, but the same could not be rendered by it. Hence, there was deficiency in service, Sinha said and sought a refund.

Forum president Umesh Jhavalikar and member N D Kadam in their order last week stated that the company should have done the quality check of the dish, the antenna and set-top box before providing the package to the customer which it did not do.
Also, the fact that it had replaced the defective RF cable proves that the company had supplied a defective set to the customer, the forum observed.

Ruling out objections raised by the defendants, the forum ruled that though the complainant has not specified the demand in detail, the documentary evidence is sufficient to prove that the demand is justified and awarded him a compensation of Rs 50,000.