When Goodnight led to bad nights! Bengaluru man wins battle over defective mosquito vaporiser; Rs 5k compensation awarded

BENGALURU: A mosquito repellent, purchased to ensure peaceful nights, led to a consumer dispute after a 75-year-old Banashankari resident claimed the device had failed to function as promised.The III Additional Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held both the manufacturer and the retailer guilty of deficiency in service.

The complainant, Sangameswaran S, purchased a Good Night Gold Flash Liquid Vaporiser from Smart Bazaar, Reliance Retail Ltd, at Banashankari 3rd Stage on Nov 27, 2024. The product, manufactured by Godrej Consumer Products Ltd in Oct 2024 and priced at Rs 215, did not display any visible expiry date. The complainant said the vaporiser was advertised as a fully automatic device that would allow users and families to sleep peacefully at night by killing mosquitoes, with the machine switching from normal mode to flash mode after four hours and then automatically reverting without any manual intervention. However, the complainant alleged after using the machine continuously for four days as per the instructions on the package, it neither killed mosquitoes nor switched between modes, as promised, leading to sleepless nights for him and his family.

The complainant also alleged an outdated and discontinued model of the vaporiser was sold, that old stock was left on shelves without replacement, and that no proper quality checks or testing were carried out by the manufacturer before the product reached the store. Sangameswaran claimed the product was not fit for use and lacked the quality promised in advertisements and sought a refund. He filed a consumer complaint on Dec 30, 2024.Notices were issued to Reliance Retail and Godrej Consumer Products. Reliance did not appear and was held ex parte, Godrej initially missed its deadline, later paid a Rs 500 cost and denied any deficiency in service, arguing the device was used under conditions not specified by the manufacturer and that it complied with all technical standards. After reviewing affidavits, purchase receipts, product images, and the legal notice, the commission observed the machine had failed to perform its primary function as advertised.

The advertising and product packaging clearly claimed that once plugged in, the machine would operate in normal mode for four hours, switch to flash mode for 30 minutes, and then return to normal mode without any manual intervention.The commission concluded the vaporiser provided to the complainant did not comply with these advertised features. The failure of the automatic switching mechanism confirmed the product was defective. "Such products are intended to protect users from mosquitoes without any harmful side effects. In the present case, a defective product was manufactured and sold. Since there is a manufacturing defect in the product, the opposite party is liable to pay compensation," the bench, comprising president Shivaram K, members Chandrashekar S Noola and Rekha Sayannavar, said.

The bench, on Nov 17, 2025, ordered Reliance Retail and Godrej Consumer Products Ltd to jointly and severally pay Rs 5,000 as compensation along with 9% interest from the date of the order until realisation.