Sony Ericsson fined Rs 34,500 for defective mobile

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Sony Ericsson fined Rs 34,500 for defective mobile​

A panel of the Central District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered Sony Ericsson to pay Rs 34,500 to a customer. Along with the total cost of the defective phone (Rs 24,500), the bench directed the company to pay the Delhi-based complainant Rs 7,000 as compensation for harassment and Rs 3,000 as legal costs. The panel also ordered the retailer who sold the defective handset to the consumer not to store "hazardous good" in the future.

The customer, Neeraj Arora, had filed a complaint in the consumer court, saying that the Sony Ericsson phone (model U1i) he purchased in July 2010 did not perform well since the beginning and used to 'hang-up'. When he submitted the device for repairs, its ringer ceased to work abruptly. The retailer, which also operated as an authorised service centre for Sony Ericsson, was unable to fix the defects in the handset, said Arora.

The bench, headed by B B Chaudhary, ruled, "We hold that the complainant (Arora) who had purchased the mobile handset of Sony Ericsson, a brand name in the market, from opposite party 2 (retail shop) has established that the opposite parties 1 and 2 (Sony Ericsson and the retail shop) are guilty of selling the defective goods. A consumer cannot be asked to remain at the mercy of service provider in the era of consumers-friendly environment."

The forum gave its decision against the manufacturer and the retailer since neither of them appeared in spite of being subpoenaed. It said that they failed to resolve the customer's concerns, even though it was their duty.


-TOI