LG Electronics India, service centre ordered to refund cost of damaged TV

HYDERABAD: Telangana District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed LG service center and LG Electronics India jointly to refund Rs 32,527 with an interest of 6 percent and a fine of Rs 5,000 and 2,000 as compensation to a resident in Hyderabad over the delivery of a damaged Television set. A case against Bajaj electronics, regarding the same, was dismissed by the court stating that it was not liable for any damage or manufacturing defect.

K K V Janardhana Rao, the complainant, stated that he had purchased an LG LED TV model which had stopped working after a few days of purchase. The complainant claimed that he had approached Bajaj Electronics and immediately a complaint was registered in the authorized LG service center. Even after the repair, the TV had stopped working again. As the problem was recurring, the complainant requested Bajaj electronics for a replacement or a refund. Even after repeated requests, there was no response from the authority concerned and hence the complainant decided to register a case against them in court.

Bajaj Electronics, in a written statement, said that they were not liable for any damage as their role was only limited to the purchase of the products since they were only a dealer/retailer of LG products. They also said that the complainant, in case of any damage, had to only approach the authorized service center as they were not concerned with the manufacturers of the product. The party prayed to dismiss the complaint with exemplary costs.

The LG service center representative was absent despite serving them a notice. The representative of LG electronics India, though present, failed to submit a written version and settlement memo despite granting sufficient time.

The court, after hearing the statements of both parties, said that the purchased TV's terms and conditions were still covered under the said extended warranty and the service center's failure to respond to the repeated appeals of the complainant was unjust and unfair. The court ordered the LG service center and LG electronics India to refund the cost of the TV after deducting depreciation at 25 percent p.a. for three years. The court also directed the parties to bear the compensation costs of the complaint. Meanwhile, the case against Bajaj Electronics was dismissed by the court as they found them not liable for the damage caused in the case.