Ahmedabad court orders Flipkart to compensate customer

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 15, 2019

The Ahmedabad consumer court ruled that e-commerce giant Flipkart must pay compensation to a customer who was never refunded for clothing items purchased from and then returned to the business.

Flipkart was ordered to pay Rs 5,000 ($72) to customer Vijaysingh Bafna as compensation for not being refunded for two pairs of trousers and a bag that he had returned to the business.

Thaltej resident Bafna was told when he returned the items that he would be refunded the Rs 3,473 that was paid for the items and the money would be deposited in his bank account within three days. However, despite regular reminders on Bafna’s part, the money never showed up, TNN reported.

Bafna’s order was placed in 2017 and, after waiting unsuccessfully for a refund, he addressed the Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum for rural Ahmedabad. The forum then addressed the case in court.

Flipkart Private Limited argued that it was not responsible for Bafna’s refund as it was a third party selling site. However, the court ruled against this and stated that Flipkart’s defence was unacceptable and ordered the business to pay compensation on top of the refund. 

The case will likely be a landmark for similar cases relating to multi-brand e-commerce platforms that sell through different sellers.

As India’s online market continues to grow, increasing amounts of legislation will be required to tackle recurring issues such as the issue of returns and the issue of fake goods, both particularly pertinent in the fashion and beauty sectors.