Mahindra to pay Rs 64k for selling defective motorcycle

Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd has been directed by a district consumer forum here to pay Rs 64,600 to a customer for selling him a defective motorcycle.
The East District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum held that the Mahindra Stallio motorcycle bought by the customer had a "manufacturing defect" as its engine required a complete overhaul within four months of purchase.
"Counsel for respondent (Mahindra) could not satisfy this forum how in a short period of four months the engine will require a major overhauling and replacement of vital parts...
"We have no hesitation in holding that the motorcycle in question was suffering from manufacturing defect. The various job sheet confirms that complainant was put to harassment due to defect in the motorcycle," a bench presided by N A Zaidi said.

The forum directed Mahindra to refund the motorcycle's cost, Rs 49,600, to Delhi resident Dhananjay Singh and to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation for the harassment caused to him.
Singh in his complaint had alleged that within seven days of purchasing the motorcycle, Mahindra Stallio, it started having engine-related problems.

The problems were so serious that within the first four months of purchase, he had to take it to the service centre five times and even after replacement of important parts of the engine the defects persisted, he had alleged.
In its defense, Mahindra had contended that all the problems in the motorcycle were dealt with and Singh himself had signed the satisfactory note without any objection.

It had also argued that the problems in the motorcycle were operational in nature and not manufacturing defects.