'53% consumers did not receive refund for inherently defective products'

At least 74% consumers had reached out for action on defective products, of which, only 21% got a product replacement or refund

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More than half of Indian consumers did not receive any replacement or refund for inherently defective high-value products they owned in the last five years, according to a new survey released on Friday.

The survey, conducted by LocalCircles, found that one of the top issues faced by consumers across the country is the lack of product recall or consumer compensation/replacement in cases of inherently defective products.

At least 74 per cent of consumers had reached out to the manufacturer/seller/service provider for action on defective products. Of these, only 21 per cent received a product replacement or refund, while an overwhelming 53 per cent could not obtain a replacement product or refund from the manufacturer.

Under the amended Consumer Protection Act, 2019, all parties including the manufacturer, suppliers, sellers, etc., are liable for any defective product sold to a consumer. This legislation, which came into effect from 20 July 2020, also holds endorsers or promoters liable for promoting a faulty or substandard product.

Moreover, at least 55 per cent of households reported having at least one high-value product that was found to be inherently defective during the warranty period, the survey revealed. Meanwhile, 29 per cent of household consumers have three or more high-value inside-warranty products that are inherently defective, it added.

As many as 86 per cent of the polled consumers expressed their desire for the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to create an easy mechanism for redressal in such cases.

LocalCircles received over 32,000 responses from household consumers located in 311 districts.