Consumer Protection

Govt launches AI tools, e-com safety measures to boost consumer protection

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday launched several initiatives to strengthen consumer protection, including artificial intelligence-enabled helpline and tools to detect deceptive marketing practices, while major e-commerce players pledged to enhance online shopping safety. Leading platforms, including Reliance Retail, Tata Sons and Zomato adopted a safety pledge as the government rolled out new consumer protection measures like the AI-enabled National Consumer Helpline, e-maap portal and Jago Grahak Jago mobile application. "Significant progress has been made in expediting resolutions of consumer disputes," Joshi said at the National Consumer Day event. The minister, who attended the event online, highlighted that out of 3,628 cases filed with the National Commission between January and November this year, 6,587 cases have been disposed of through the country's three-tier consumer court system at district, state and national levels. The government's e-Daak

Consumer protection: Buyer entitled to market value if flat is resold

The National Commission condemned the builder for creating third-party rights during litigation, thereby depriving the buyer of a permanent roof over his head

17 direct selling firms face CCPA notices over alleged 'unfair practices'

Consumer protection regulator CCPA on Friday said it has issued notices to 17 direct selling firms, including Oriflame India, for alleged unfair trade practices and violations of consumer protection rules. The notices have been served on companies such as Vihaan Direct Selling India, Triptales Pvt Ltd, Oriens Global Marketing, Zennesa Wellness, and others for alleged service deficiencies and non-compliance with the Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules, 2021. An official statement revealed that 13 of these cases are under investigation, while replies from three companies are still awaited. The action comes in response to concerns about deceptive practices in the direct selling industry. The ministry warned that some fraudulent entities are misusing the direct selling model to promote illegal pyramid or money circulation schemes. These companies often make unrealistic promises of high commissions, foreign trips, and entrepreneurship opportunities contingent on recruiting ...

Uber faces US FTC consumer protection investigation over subscriptions

The FTC is investigating Uber over enrollment and cancellation aspects of the product, according to documents viewed by Bloomberg. The investigation was opened earlier this year

National Consumer Helpline to launch AI features, partners with 1,000 firms

National Consumer Helpline (NCH) is set to introduce artificial intelligence-based features including speech recognition and multilingual chatbots as part of a major upgrade to its consumer grievance system. The helpline has also announced partnerships with over 1,000 companies to expedite complaint resolution. The new AI capabilities, dubbed NCH 2.0, will allow consumers to file complaints through voice input in their local languages, marking a significant technological transformation of the consumer protection platform that currently operates in 17 languages. The helpline has seen dramatic growth in usage, with monthly calls surging to 141,817 in January 2024 from 14,795 in January 2015. Monthly complaint registrations have tripled to 112,468 in 2024 from 37,062 in 2017. "These technological upgrades are aimed at making the grievance filing process more seamless, efficient, and inclusive," the Department of Consumer Affairs said in a statement. The partnership programme, known a

Forcible repossession by lenders is illegal; file police complaint

The National Commission observed that Singh had admittedly defaulted in payment, but there was no evidence to prove that the bank had served a notice prior to repossessing the vehicle

Consumer protection: Changes in insurance policy terms must be conveyed

The National Commission noted that critical illness risk should have been included by the insurer to avoid prejudice caused by the discontinuation of this risk

CCPA directs Ola cabs to provide refund options to its consumers

Over 2,000 complaints registered on NCH, authority asks platform to issue bills for auto rides

Consumer protection: Bank not liable for lack of pledged goods cover

The National Commission noted that merely because the bank had obtained the previous policy did not absolve the customer of its primary responsibility to obtain coverage

Heavy rain damage covered under policy for 'flood' and 'inundation'

The National Commission concluded that the policy's coverage for flood and inundation would include losses caused by heavy rains

CCPA slaps Rs 5 lakh fine on Shankar IAS Academy for misleading ads

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 500,000 fine on Shankar IAS Academy for misleading advertisements related to the 2022 civil service exam, the regulator said on Sunday. The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, found that the coaching institute made false claims about its success rate and the nature of courses taken by successful candidates. In its advertisement for the 2022 UPSC Civil Service exam, Shankar IAS Academy claimed "336 selections out of 933 at All India Level", "40 candidates in Top 100", and "2 candidates have cleared from Tamil Nadu, of which 37 studied at Shankar IAS Academy". The institute also advertised itself as the "Best IAS Academy in India". However, the CCPA discovered that Shankar IAS Academy "deliberately concealed" information about the specific courses taken by the successful candidates it advertised for. "This practice consequently attracts consumers into buying paid courses advertised by the coaching institutes,"

Police department held liable for lapsed policies

The National Commission dismissed the police department's defence of discontinuing the premium deductions based on oral instructions, without obtaining a written confirmation

Vehicle cover transfers to buyer on registration

The National Commission ruled that the insurance policy is deemed to be automatically transferred to the purchaser when the vehicle is registered in their name

Govt proposes mandatory labelling for bulk pre-packaged commodities

The Consumer Affairs Ministry on Sunday proposed an amendment to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, seeking to mandate the declaration of key information on pre-packaged commodities weighing over 25 kg or measuring more than 25 litres sold in retail markets. The move aims to close a loophole that currently exempts such bulk packages from displaying crucial details like maximum retail price (MRP), best before date, manufacturer information, and country of origin. "It is observed that packaged commodities above 25 kg are also available in the market for retail sale, which is not as per the intention to make all declarations on pre-packaged commodities meant for retail sale," the ministry said in a statement. The proposed amendment would require manufacturers, packers, and importers to provide comprehensive labelling on all pre-packaged goods intended for retail sale, regardless of quantity. This is expected to bring clarity to the industry and aid consumers in ..

Force majeure plea must be backed by evidence

The National Commission relied on past Supreme Court judgments to conclude that failure to hand over timely possession entitled the allottee to a refund along with interest

Municipal corp's plan revisions deemed illegal

The judge ruled that the disclosures in the original plan would remain valid and declared the subsequent eight revisions illegal

Revive policy or accept surrender value

The National Commission noted that if the policyholder wanted reinstatement, he should have made a written request and cleared the premiums

Frivolous complaint can cost consumer dearly

National Commission concluded that false and baseless allegations had been made in the complaint to claim a highly exaggerated and atrocious amount of compensation

Bank accountable for clearing forged cheque

Citing a Reserve Bank of India circular, the National Commission stated that the liability for honouring a forged cheque vests with the paying bank

SC states celebrities, influencers equally accountable for misleading ads

Top court asked FSSAI and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to file affidavits on action taken by CCPA against false or misleading ads in food and health sector