Mercedes-Benz to pay Rs 2.5 lakh relief for harassing Chandigarh customer

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed Mercedes-Benz India Pvt Ltd to pay Rs 2,50,000 as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment to a consumer.

The commission has also directed to replace the defective parts of the vehicle within 30 days from the date of receipt of a certified copy of the order, failing which it will have to pay penalty at the rate of Rs 2,000 per day from the date of default till its realisation.

In his application, Gurnam Singh, a director of M/s Dhiman Switchgear Pvt Ltd, stated that the company purchased a Mercedes Benz C-200 vehicle from IJM Panjab Motors Pvt Ltd, an authorised dealer of Mercedes Benz India Pvt Ltd, in December 2023. He said the car exhibited inherent manufacturing defects, particularly in the key feature “Mercedes Me App and Car Communication” that facilitated remote access and control of various functions such as keyless entry, engine ignition, air conditioning, tracking, etc.

Despite multiple complaints on emails since January 15 last year and at least five visits to the service centre, the defect persisted. He said there were additional issues, including malfunctioning of the panoramic sunroof curtain, system validation, malfunctioning of passenger seat, rear curtain and leakage of washer fluid bottle.

Denying the allegations, the company claimed that the vehicle had undergone stringent quality checks at every stage of production and was duly tested.

After hearing of the arguments, the commission said the car owner suffered considerable mental agony, frustration and inconvenience as in the case of a high-end luxury vehicle, the expectations of quality, reliability and responsive customer service are naturally higher.

In view of this, the commission directed the company to replace the defective parts of the front left memory seat of the vehicle within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of a certified copy of the order. Apart from awarding relief and imposing penalty on the firm in case the defective parts were not replaced, the commission directed it to pay Rs 35,000 towards litigation expenses.

Chandigarh