Consumer Court & Consumer Forum

Consumer Court: This is the special purpose court, in India, that deals with cases regarding consumer disputes and grievances. They are judiciary hearings set up by the government to protect the consumers rights. Its main function is to maintain the fair practices by the sellers towards consumers. Consumers can file a case against a seller if they are defeated or exploited by sellers. The court will only give a verdict in favour of the consumers/customers if they have proof of exploitation, i.e., bills or other documents. If a consumer does not have the proper documents required for filing a case then it would be very difficult for the consumer to win or even file a case.

Types:

1. National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC): A national level court works for the whole country and deals compensation claimed exceeds rupees one crore. The National Commission is the Apex body of Consumer Courts, it is also the highest Appellate Court in the hierarchy.

2. State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC):A state level court works at the state level with cases where compensation claimed is above 20 lacs but up to one crore. The State Commission also has Appellate jurisdiction over the District Forum.

3. District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF): A district level court works at the district level with cases where the compensation claimed is up to 20 lakhs.

Consumer Movement: The consumer movement as a social force originated with the necessity of protecting and promoting the interests of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices. Rampant food shortages, hoarding, black marketing, adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to the consumer movement in an organized form in the 1960s. The movement succeeded in bringing pressure. A major step was taken in 1986 by the Indian government with the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 (COPRA).

Objectives: The main function of consumer court is to provide some extra privilege to the consumers and to maintain fair practice by the seller or the service provider towards the consumer. Submitting complaint is very simple and a consumer has no need to hire any lawyer. Approaching a consumer court is very simple and extremely cheap as you can represent yourself without having to hire a lawyer and not required to pay any court fee but just a nominal fee.

It is in this regard that one can think of Consumer Sathi, which is an organization to address the consumers’ grievances by means of complaints. Their right way of handling complaints and customer issues make them the leading company among consumer forums in India. Their specialized method, complete support, and efficient guidance makes them the most preferred choice. All the processes like filing a complaint, seeking legal help and knocking on the consumer forum are followed in an easy manner. Apart from this there is cost effective 24x7 support, keeping the complaints private along with real time tracking.   All one has to do is to register, fill the form with one’s complaint regarding a product and brand and choose the preferred plan. Their experts will immediately draft the complaint details and send it to the concerned company for justice. Contingent upon the situation, if the matter is not ironed out either it is ignored or the customer is not satisfied then their legal experts would send a legal notice to the company with the client’s approval. Also, their automated process, constant reminders to the company and the real time tracking will not let the case go hidden. If the company is still reluctant to hear the continuous requests then they have no choice but to ring the bells of the court. At this last stage their legal experts help the customer create legal complaint and collate the required information to file the case.