NEW DELHI: With the outbreak of the Covid2019 pandemic, e-commerce quickly became one of the most preferred modes of shopping in the country. A survey conducted by LocalCircles revealed that safety, competitive prices and ease of returns ranked as the top reasons for shoppers to trust in e-tailers. However, there are also frequent instances of buyers getting the shorter end of the stick. According to information shared by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), 22 per cent of all complaints received from Indian consumers are related to e-commerce platforms.
During an interaction on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day, DCA secretary Leena Nandan has informed that on an average, 70,000 complaints are registered with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) every month. Out of this, 22 per cent grievances are related to the online retail sector.
“However, the majority of e-commerce companies are now coming around to maintain compliance with consumer rights, and therefore, provide accordingly redressal to the consumers," said Nandan.
Other sectors which constitute a big chunk of the number of grievances include banking (8.6 per cent) and telecom (7.7 per cent). The number of convergence companies on the NCH platform has increased from 403 in 2017-18 to 647 now, with 98.5 per cent grievance redressal in April-December 2020, Nandan said.
"Our motto is to increase consumer outreach, improve consumer grievance redressal and to take proactive initiatives for consumer protection to strengthen the consumer movement in India," she added.
Nandan further stated that various consumer outreach initiatives have been taken by the department, particularly for rural consumers. These initiatives have been deployed through panchayats, common service centers, Krishi Vigyan Kendra and post offices, among others.
Informing about the eDaakhil portal of the department, the secretary said that the government of India through the NIC has launched the portal, which simplifies the process of filing complaints for the consumers.
The consumers can now file online complaints from anywhere. So far, 17 states and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) have adopted the eDaakhil portal. As many as 13,944 users have registered on the portal so far.
Briefing the media about the actions taken by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), Nandan said that 172 notices have been issued since October 2020, 37 for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices and 135 for violation of declarations under packaged commodity rules.
She said after analysing the complaints, the CCPA has requested the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) for early settlement of claims, besides asking the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRA) to resolve issues related to portability, network, broad-band service etc. The CCPA has also asked the RBI to adhere to the timelines of settlement of claims.
