We often hear this statement that “consumer is the king of the market”, but at times some companies make this king miserable by selling them fake product or service. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 is a government regulation that defends the interests of cheated consumers.
Some features of the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 are as follows
a) The act provides relief to the aggrieved consumers
b) The act proposes the establishment of a central consumer protection council and the state consumer protection councils with an intention of spreading consumer awareness
c) It is one of the compassionate social legislation projected to protect the large body of consumers from exploitation.
d) Adoption of uniform procedure in the hearing of the matters
e) Speedy grant of the copies of documents.
Here, in this blog, we will learn how to file a consumer complaint online with the step by step procedure. Let’s start with some basic terms that would be used in filing a complaint:
Who is a consumer?
A consumer is a person who buys goods or services for his personal use, but not for manufacture or resale. The consumer plays a vital role in the market and all the important activities that are carried out in the market revolve around him. For filing a consumer complaint, the complainant has to be a consumer.
Who can file a consumer complaint?
Any consumer having grievances about the product or services bought can file a complaint against the brand, company or the shop owner. The grievance includes – defective product, quality of the material, the price charged excess of the MRP (maximum retail price) mentioned, etc. As mentioned above, all such issues are dealt by Consumer Protection Act 1986. According to this act, the following can file a consumer complaint:
a) Consumer
b) Any registered voluntary association
c) Two or more consumers having a common interest
Another important point to know is, the complainant must file his complaint within 2 years from the date of purchase of product/service. Except for special cases, the court is not liable to entertain complaints filed after completion of 2 years or more.
How to File Consumer Complaint Online?
Filing the consumer complaint online involves simple steps. The government maintains an online portal, the Consumer Online Resource and Empowerment Centre. The centre is supported by the Department of Consumer Affairs and is run by the Consumer Coordination Council, Government of India.
Now let’s look at some of the steps involved in filing a consumer complaint:
a) The consumer first has to register on the website of the Consumer Online Resource and Empowerment Centre. Open the URL https://www.india.gov.in/official-website-consumer-online-resource-and-empowerment-centre, click Register and fill in your details – name, e-mail id, complete address and phone number.
b) After registering, go to sign-in and fill in the username and password.
c) Go to File Complaint
d) Select the Complaint Type
e) A page for filling the details will open, fill in the necessary details and click ‘submit’.
These were the simple to follow steps for filing a consumer complaint. According to the website and government norms, the consumer who has filed the complaint get resolution within a period of 3 months. The consumer can check the status of his complaint on the website using the same username and password.
For more queries and their solutions, visit http://www.consumersathi.com/
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