Consumers get ₹7.14 cr refund in 2 months via consumer helpline support

National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has helped consumers in getting refund of Rs 7.14 crore in the last two months from retailers, including e-commerce players.

In an official statement on Friday, the Department of Consumer Affairs highlighted that the NCH "facilitated refund of Rs 7.14 crore to consumers in last two months".

With the assistance of the helpline, 15,426 consumer grievances related to refund claims were addressed. The grievances were related to 30 sectors.

The NCH is a key initiative of the department and it plays a crucial pre-litigation role in resolving consumer grievances swiftly and amicably.

The redressal of consumer grievances at the NCH-level reduces the burden on consumer commissions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Elaborating further, the department noted that the e-commerce sector contributed maximum 8,919 grievances. Hence, the refund was also the highest in this sector at Rs 3.69 crore.

"The facilitation of Rs 7.14 crore in refunds between April 25 and June 30, 2025 reflects the efficacy and responsiveness of the helpline, driven by the expansion of convergence partners and strong stakeholder engagement," the statement said.

On the NCH, consumers can register their grievances in 17 languages through a tollfree number 1915.

They can also complain through the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel, IT-enabled central portal. Multiple channels are available for this purpose, including WhatsApp, SMS, email, the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in), and the UMANG App.