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Government Agencies are becoming
social media savvy!
It is indeed heartening
to note that the Government agencies have become more social media active
and are even picking up the citizens' voice. In a recent incident,
a journalist Mr. Saha, who was travelling by train no. 12312, Netaji Express
(on 13th Jan. 2023), from Ghaziabad to Howrah, could get back a nominal
Rs. 10/-, from the tea vendor, after he tweeted his grievance that the tea
vendor had not returned Rs. 10/- after having taken Rs. 20/- from him, in
spite of reminding him. It is stated that while the incident took place
near Prayagraj Station, he was refunded the money by a Manager of IRCTC
and the dishonest vendor was also relieved of his duties, then and there.
One tweet to @IRCTCofficial could result in such a positive response, within
a short duration is indeed great!
Kudos to the Indian Railway administration and the
Government of India.
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KIND ATTENTION PLEASE!!
For
the benefit of readers, we have provided below the links for our monthly
newsletter Advantage Consumer,
which can be utilised Free of Cost.
• NOV. 22 ISSUE
• DEC. 22 ISSUE
• JAN. 23 ISSUE
• FEB.
23 ISSUE
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Delivering
waste paper in lieu of a new laptop, by amazon.in
(An illustrative
lesson for all online shoppers!!)
19th Jan. 2022
Sub: Cheating by the Seller of amazon.in, while supplying
Acer Make Laptop worth Rs.63.500/-, on 11/11/21.
---------------
Sir,
This is to bring to your kind notice that we have
purchased a ACER make laptop from Amazon, on 11/11/21. The
material was delivered after confirmation message from Amazon, on 16/11/2021.
But, after opening the packet we found a bundle of
Haryana newspapers, instead of a laptop. Immediately, we contacted
the Amazon local office as well as the delivery boy. They were not
in a position to solve the problem. Thereafter, we filed an
FIR in the local police station about the mischief made by the Seller
/ Amazon company. We also contacted M/s Giriraj Enterprises, Jind,
Haryana who had supplied the Laptop and Mr. Nitin Dhillon, Head of the
Branch, but he was also not in a position to solve the problem. We suspect
that the entire bunch of staff are involved in this mischief. This
is the fate of online purchase of the products and inability to get
justice. In this connection all relevant documents / papers connected
to the above case are enclosed for your further processing of the case
and get the natural justice to save us from mental agony.
The incident took place on 16th Nov 2021, and we thought
the matter would be solved by Amazon. But when we got a reply on
19th Nov. 2021, that they cannot help in the matter, then we informed
the Police, The Police came to our House on the same day to investigate
the matter. They assured that they would try to solve the matter over
discussion with Amazon. But when they were unable to do so, they lodged
the complaint on 26th November, after taking the Amazon box received
into their custody, at the Police Station.
Sir, we had purchased the laptop for our son in connection
with his studies but we have been put to so much of hardship. I
shall be highly obliged if you kindly look into the matter and help
us in getting justice.
An expeditious action in the matter shall be highly
appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
Binod Kumar Jena
Rourkela-769005 (Odisha)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
27th Jan. 2022
Dear Mr. Jena,
Sorry to note that you have suffered heavy loss due to the non-delivery
of the laptop, after having paid Rs. 63,500/-.
Since the online transactions have their own pitfalls, as experienced
by you, sufficient evidence will have to be placed before all concerned,
to prove our case. Please check whether the following can be
placed before the appropriate authorities / forum, to prove your case
and to get appropriate relief:
1. Date and approximate time of delivery of the package
(could be by the incoming call of the delivery boy/agent, when
he must have asked you for the exact location of the Flat/House, or
to seek the OTP to deliver the package). (Since you have given
the mobile number of the delivery agent, you can check and confirm
the time of call received from him, on that day, you can retain the
screenshot of that call.)
2. The package containing newspapers have been shared
by you, but the time of taking the snap is not visible. If
that can be arranged, that will help.
3. After delivery of the package and ascertaining
the contents, did you talk or chat with Amazon Customer Care?
If so, the transcript of the conversation / chat will help.
Hope, you have retained those details.
4. Was any written complaint lodged with Amazon?
If so, did they respond?
5. Since the laptop was purchased through the Debit
Card of a Bank, did you inform the Bank (some banks indemnify the
Cardholder from such losses, occurring due to non-receipt or pilferage
of material, when such material is purchased by payment made through
their Card)?
6. Though, the incident took place on the 16th Jan.,
why there was a delay in lodging the FIR, by nearly 10 days?
Based on answers to the above questions, it will be
possible to decide further course of action.
With best wishes,
B. VAIDYANATHAN
CHIEF MENTOR
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9th Feb. 2022
Sir,
We have received the amount Rs 63,500. from Amazon
on 6th Feb 2022. This is for your kind information and thanks
for your help and cooperation.
Thanking you
Binod Jena
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10th Feb. 2022
Dear Mr. Jena,
Congratulations. Good, that Amazon could conclude that the
dealer had cheated. Better late than never. You had also
taken due care to record all the details in a systematic manner, providing
a scope for legal remedy.
With best wishes,
B. VAIDYANATHAN
CHIEF MENTOR
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Consumers
will be better protected - Narendra Modi
Let
the consumer
be doomed
Employees are entitled to benefit of two years weightage
under the EPS
Don't Disturb
-
Justice is not Supreme
Supreme Court fails
to uphold the law
Some suggestions to Chief Justice of India - Is it
that
the Laws & Rules need to remain only
on paper?
Unprincipled
Amendments
to Consumer Protection Act
A big question
mark
about the relevance of the judiciary in
safeguarding the consumer
(Council's
Curative
Petition dismissed)
In India, consumers have
been at the receiving end
since long. One thought that things
will change for the better after the
Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1986 and
a structured approach was adopted to promote
and safeguard the interests of the consumers.
But after 2004, things have gone from bad
to worse. Commencing from the castration of
the Central Consumer Protection Council, the relevance
of the consumer Act itself has been brought
into question. If the government is found
wanting and none too serious to strengthen this voluntary
initiative of the individuals to do their bit for a healthy
society, which in any case is bound to benefit the industry,
its competitiveness and the country as a whole, myopic
approach only appear to rule the roost, as on date.
Important amendments which were
brought in 2003 to the Consumer Protection
Act, with a clear objective of penalising Unfair
Trade Practices and to compensate
the consumer/litigant adequately have
been frustrated by the indifferent approach
of the National Commission as well as the Supreme
Court. That is why, giving the benefit of
doubt to the bench which did not do justice to the
issues placed before it by Consumer Protection Council,
Rourkela, and to take the issues pursued by it to the
logical end, Curative Petition was filed. The
GROUNDS
categorically
illustrate the denial of Natural Justice
to the Petitioner Council and the
failure of the Court in addressing the issues
raised in the Appeal.
Rupa Ashok Hurra
case specifically has laid Violation of Principles
of Natural justice as the valid ground for
considering a Curative Petition. Question
is whether a narrow view of non-issue of notice alone
should be taken as the requisite ground for allowing
the Appeal or blatant denial to consider the Grounds
of Appeal by the concerned bench should be treated
alike, in the larger interests of justice?
If this anomaly is not addressed, Curative
Petitions will only be found useful when the
media start highlighting an issue, like the LGBT case
leading to the strength of the population deciding the
outcome of the Curative Petition. This
does not augur well for a civilized democratic country.
Learned ex-Justice of Gujarat &
Rajasthan High Courts, Sri M.R.Calla,
and designated Sr. Advocate of the Supreme
Court had unequivocally advocated for
allowing the Curative Petition of the Council,
pointing
out
the gross miscarriage of justice and denial
of natural justice.
But that has not appealed to the Supreme
Court bench headed by the CJI, who have
dismissed
the
Curative Petition, as per the Order
made available on the internet
today.
Something needs to be done to address
and to save the people from this
hyper-technical approach of the Supreme Court
and to promote the consumer movement, which
is after all in the best interests of the nation.
Will Shri Narendra Modi and his government
do something to stem this rot?
**************
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How can the
Supreme Court pass an irrelevant order?
'Consumer justice
is
your right'
Fleece the
consumer and go scot-free
Finish the consumer
movement?
www.moneylife.in/finish-the-consumer-movement
A consumer organisation
with
a difference. Instead
of rendering advisory services
alone, the Council since its inception, in
1985, has been taking up issues affecting
them through the consumer courts and other means
and feels proud to have provided relief to crores
of people. These include:
- Remedial action against
short filling of LPG in cooking
gas refills; of the 184 LPG Bottling
Plants, of the three Oil Marketing Companies
(IOC, BP & HP), only 4 remain to be automated.
Even these will be modernised within the next
financial year 2013-14). The quantified
loss of nearly Rs. 750 crores per year to the consumers
across the country has been taken care by this
upgradation. Thanks to the Council's Original
Petition initiatied in 2001, before the National
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).
- Won an important case
against the Rourkela Development
Authority and secured financial relief for a group of
individuals, against violation of Plan
& Specifications in the construction
of the houses and delay in handing over the possession.
- Obtained a separate
District Forum for Rourkela, though
it is not the district headquarters,
which otherwise necessitated the entire
Rourkela population to approach the Forum,
situated at Sundergarh, a place 100 km away;
- Re-routing of Dhanbad-Alleppey
Express train through
Chennai Central;
- Campaigned against
non transferring of excise duty
concessions (to the consumers) extended by the
union government to the industry;
- Better upkeep of the
railway coaches of Utkal Kalinga
Express and other trains;
- Reintroduction AC
Chair Car in Ispat Express;
- Refunding of booking
advance by M/s APSL and M/s LML;
and many more.
It will not be an exaggeration
to add that its activities have added
to the confidence of the Rourkela population,
against unethical business practices.
The fifth Voluntary Consumer
Organisation in the country to have set
up a Consumer Information Centre,
with the support of Ministry
of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution,
Govt. of India. Has earned a niche for creating
consumer awareness
and handling of individual
as well as group/class grievances.
It is bringing out an English monthly
Advantage Consumer,
to educate the consumers. It is represented
in various Advisory bodies.
An Aware Consumer is
an
Asset to the Nation
Through this site effort will
be made to disseminate all relevant
information and answers to many of the
queries which are frequently asked. Knowledge
is power and ignorance is the root cause
of all exploitation. As a consumer, we hope
you will find the site quite useful. Since ours
is a voluntary organisation with meagre resources
we have designed the site on our own and are
sure there will be lot of scope to improve. As such we
invite the public and the visitors to this site to communicate
their valuable feedback, so that we may improve
the contents of this site.
Lots & Lots of information in store
for you to tap, in the Information
Section. Why wait to click on
Information.
If you are keen to support the Council, you may send in
your
donations through crossed Cheques/Demand
Drafts, drawn in favour of "Consumer Protection
Council, Rourkela". All donations
to the Council are exempted under sec. 80G
of the Income Tax Act. The Council is also registered
under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation
Act).
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