Furniture shop owner to pay Rs 13,000 for defective mattresses

A consumer forum here has asked a furniture shop to pay Rs 13,000 in compensation to a customer for selling him inferior quality mattresses, saying that the shop owner seemed to have a "lust for earning money by illegal means".
North-East District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that mattresses always carry some warranty and rejected the shop owner's contention that no guarantee/ warranty was given by the company which had manufactured the defective mattress.
"It is a matter of common knowledge that mattresses always carry some warranty, but (the furniture shop) has made a futile attempt to build a false case.

"It means that the (shop) is indulging in selling sub- standard mattresses and if any customer approaches the (shop owner) for replacing the same, he does not do so. He seems to have a lust to earn money by illegal means," said the forum, which was presided over by NK Goel.
It was hearing a complaint filed by Delhi resident Rakesh Aggarwal against Shahdara-based M/S Goel Furniture Company. Aggarwal claimed that the shop owner had refused to replace the defective mattresses sold to him or give a refund on it by falsely claiming that no guarantee had come with the product.

The forum, also comprising members Asha Kumar and Nishat Ahmad Alvi, asked the furniture shop to pay Rs 13,000 to Aggarwal.

"Holding the shop guilty of deficiency in service, we direct it to pay Rs 5,000 towards cost of mattresses to the complainant. We further award Rs 5,000 as compensation for harassment suffered by the complainant and Rs 3,000 to be paid to him towards litigation cost, including cartage charges, etc.," the forum said.
Aggarwal had told the forum that he had purchased two foam mattresses in July last year from the said shop, which had given a guarantee card for his purchase duly stamped for 15 years.

However, after 20-25 days, the mattresses were found to be defective and, although the shop had assured it would replace the mattresses, it later on refused to do so.
Aggarwal then moved the forum seeking costs of Rs 23,000 from the shop owner, including the value of the mattresses and compensation along with some other charges.
The shop owner had denied the allegations saying that no guarantee/warranty was given at the time of purchase of the mattresses and Aggarwal had forged the warranty card which was produced before the forum.