Defective tyre sale costs firm Rs18,000

A Delhi-based tyre-manufacturing company, Continental Automobile, has been directed to pay a penalty for selling a ‘defective’ tyre to a Bandra-based customer in 2010.

The Mumbai Suburban District consumer forum has asked the firm to pay Rs3,500 (with 9 per cent interest from 2010 when the tyre had been sold) to Raminder Bir who had bought five tyres for Rs18,775 from a dealer.

Bir claimed that one of the tyres was defective. He said in his complaint that he had to purchase a new tyre by paying up an additional amount of Rs3,500 and asked the company to refund the same.

Bir claimed that when he asked the company for compensation, it not provide an appropriate answer after which he approached the forum.

In its reply to the forum, Continental Automobile refuted the claim that the tyre it had sold was defective. The company’s reply said that Bir had checked the condition of the tyre before purchasing it.

After going through evidence submitted, the forum concluded that the company was at fault.