New Delhi: Way back in 2014, Odisha’s Supriyo Ranjan Mahapatra, then a law student, came across a new laptop on Amazon.in for just Rs 190. Not to say it was an irresistible offer and a fantastic deal that he would be foolish to give up.
Besides, Mahapatra needed a laptop at the time for his studies. So, he ordered the laptop. However, a few hours after Amazon.in confirmed the order, Mahapatra received an order cancellation update. The Amazon Customer Care Service Department said that they needed to cancel the order because of what they called a price recession issue, News18 reported.
Now, the Odisha State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has directed Amazon.in to pay Rs 40,000 as compensation for mental agony and harassment as well as punitive damages to Mahapatra and also Rs 5,000 towards the cost of litigation.
According to Bar and Bench, the commission took cognisance of the fact that the buyer had to then purchase another laptop worth Rs 22,899 for completing his educational projects, which he claims were delayed as a result.
The commission ruled that a laptop with an original reported price of Rs 23,499 was listed for Rs 190 on the Amazon.in shopping website and that meant a promotional discount of Rs 23,309 was applied. The commission also said that in this case, Amazon.in “is not only negligent in rendering proper service to the complainant but also involved in unfair trade practice”.
The commission held this as a deficiency in service on part of Amazon.in.
