Bought a smart TV for Rs 20,000, it stopped working within 6 months; consumer court awards man Rs 57,000

NEW DELHI: A district consumer commission in Telangana has directed the manufacturer and two service providers of a smart television to refund its cost and to pay compensation, after the TV stopped working within six months of purchase.The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Nalgonda, directed the TV's manufacturer and dealer to refund Rs 20,449, the cost of the set, and directed the company that sold an appliance protection plan to refund Rs 1,499 paid for that cover. All three were also told to jointly pay Rs 25,000 as compensation for mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total payout to Rs 56,948.What was the issueThe complainant, Gorentla Srinivas, had bought a Thomson QLED Ultra HD Smart Google TV through Flipkart for Rs 20,449 in January 2025. The TV was delivered on January 16 and installed the next day.

Srinivas further paid Rs 1,499 for a year-long protection plan, on top of the one-year manufacturer's warranty that came with the set.As per the complaint, the television worked fine for about six months but after that it stopped functioning. Srinivas argued that he complained on Flipkart's toll-free helpline and emailed the manufacturer and dealer, but got no proper response from them.Later when a technician was sent by the company, he inspected the TV and found that the main board needs to be replaced.

Aggrieved by the response from the company, the complainant sent a legal notice, demanding a refund.What did the commission sayThe consumer commission examined all the facts and evidence and it noted that in WhatsApp message the company itself has admitted that the main board in the TV was to be replaced and also repeatedly assured the complainant that the part was on its way"This amounts to clear admission on the part of the Opposite Parties regarding the existence of defect," the commission said.The bench held that by repeatedly promising a fix without ever delivering one, the companies were guilty of deficiency in service, and that the complainant had been "subjected to inconvenience, mental agony and financial loss" as the defect was never resolved.On Flipkart's role, the court observed that it was only an online platform through which the sale was made and dismissed the complaint against it.The commission ordered the manufacturer and dealer to refund Rs 20,449 for the TV, the protection-plan provider to refund Rs 1,499, and all three to jointly pay Rs 25,000 in compensation and Rs 10,000 in litigation costs — to be paid within 45 days, failing which the amount would carry 9 per cent annual interest until paid.