Tata Motors to pay Rs2.25L for taking 2 yrs to mend truck

The Tata Motors Ltd, one of the largest automobile firm in South Asia, has been directed by the apex consumer forum to pay Rs2.25 lakh compensation to a customer for taking nearly two years to repair and return a faulty truck, sold to him.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) gave the order on a plea by Tata Motors challenging the verdict of Himachal Pradesh State Consumer Commission which had held the truck to be defective and had asked it to refund the cost of the vehicle or replace it.

"In our view, since respondent/complain (customer) has not paid repair charges of the vehicle but was deprived of its use from October 26, 2005 to August 24, 2007, we consider it appropriate to award a compensation of Rs two lakh to be paid by the petitioner (Tata Motors) and its dealer jointly and severally to respondent/complainant (Sunil Kumar).

"The amount of compensation as also the cost of Rs25,000 be paid within a period of six weeks from the date of the order," said the NCDRC bench presided by Justice RC Jain.

The NCDRC, however, set aside the order of the state consumer commission that there was a manufacturing defect in the vehicle, saying that it (state commission) did not obtain an expert opinion.

"In our view, the state commission appears to have abruptly rushed to the conclusion that this is a case of manufacturing defect," it said.

Sunil Kumar, who hails from Shimla, had not paid the repair charges of the Tata truck he had bought for Rs6.77 lakh on the ground that the vehicle was under warranty period.