The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Ernakulam has ordered e-commerce platform Amazon Seller to pay Rs 4,000 to a customer for service deficiency after taking four months to issue a refund for an incorrectly delivered pair of shoes.
Legal Notice Triggered Late Refund
The ruling follows a complaint filed by Nayanthara V J, who ordered a pair of grey Allen Cooper safety shoes priced at Rs 2,056 on September 11, 2023. Upon receiving the item in the wrong color, the buyer initiated a return request within the platform’s 10-day window on September 22, requesting pickup at her husband’s office.
Although the return was scheduled for September 24, 2023, the pickup failed because the workplace was closed on Sunday. The customer subsequently contacted Amazon support to reschedule, but no second attempt was made. Customer service representatives later informed her to wait until September 29 before ultimately stating that no refund or return would be permitted.
The customer then issued a legal notice through her counsel, advocate Kailesh T Gopi, on October 5, 2023. Amazon eventually processed the full Rs 2,056 refund on January 31, 2024—129 days after the initial request, despite company policy outlining a five-day turnaround for refunds.
Commission Findings And Financial Penalty
A three-member bench comprising Commission President D B Binu and members Ramachandran V and Sreevidhia T N delivered the order on July 6. The panel observed that while the purchase price was ultimately returned, Amazon committed a deficiency in service by failing to retrieve the item within 10 days and delaying the refund until legal action was initiated.
Under the ruling, Amazon must pay the complainant Rs 2,000 as compensation for the inconvenience caused, along with an additional Rs 2,000 to cover legal costs, payable within 45 days.
E-Commerce Platform Defense
Represented by advocate S Shiv Shankar, Amazon defended its actions by stating that the independent third-party seller, Clicktech Retail Pvt Ltd, had received the payment and was not named in the complaint. The defense asserted that the missed pickup resulted from the complainant’s unavailability on a Sunday when the designated office was closed.
Amazon further argued that the complainant provided no photographic proof of receiving the wrong color. The company contended that it processed the refund on January 30, 2024, as a gesture of goodwill following internal verification after receiving the legal notice on December 15, while dismissing the complainant’s original demand for Rs 15,000 in compensation as unsubstantiated.
