Hewlett Packard replaces consumer's faulty laptop, directed to pay compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh

The additional Thane district consumer dispute redressal forum recently penalised Hewlett Packard India Sales Limited for failing to compensate its consumer for the inconvenience its negligence caused him. The forum directed the company to pay the complainant a compensation of Rs2.5 lakh, besides Rs50,000 for the mental agony caused to him Rs25,000 for the litigation charges incurred by him.

The case dates back to November 2007, when Vishal Bhalodiya, a Navi Mumbai resident, had bought an HP laptop. In April 2010, when Bhalodiya was giving a presentation to his colleagues, fumes started coming from the device. Sixty of his colleagues present in the room immediately stepped aback, while Bhalodiya kept the laptop on the floor and joined them.

The fumes increased and, suddenly, the laptop exploded. Bhalodiya then immediately approached the company and complained about the incident. Initially, the company did not respond, but in May 2010, it gave him a new laptop. When he asked the company to compensate him for the loss of his data, the company did not pay attention to his plea.

Thus, in June 2010, Bhalodiya approached the forum and filed a complaint. The forum asked the company to file its reply, to which the company maintained that it had already replaced the faulty device with a new one and that the complainant is trying to extract money from it.

The forum, after going through the evidence advanced by the complainant and the company, said it was the company's responsibility to pay for the complainant's loss. It also maintained that when the blast occurred, there were a lot of people in the room and the situation could easily have become worse. On these grounds it penalised the company.