For the house-proud one, the Consumer Court here has a cautionary note to add — check for bugs before buying expensive furniture.
Sujesh K.P., a resident of Ramanattukara, learnt this lesson the hard way and after a prolonged litigation with the dodgy retailer who sold him a corner sofa set for his house.
As per a petition filed by Mr. Sujesh in September 2013 before the Kozhikode Consumer Redressal and Grievances Forum, he bought the sofa piece for Rs.35,986 from Frame Business Associates on April 1 that year.
Insects, dustA month later, he detected insects and dust coming out of the sofa. “Moreover, there was a foul smell,” he complained in the petition before a three-member Bench led by G. Yadunadhan.
Mr. Sujesh narrates how he called a technician to check the sofa’s cushions. The technician found that the wood used in the sofa was defective, the Bench quoted from his complaint.
However, nobody from the furniture retailer came to check despite several calls from Mr. Sujesh.
AllegationsThe petition alleged service deficiency and illegal trade practice on the part of Frame Business. Besides, seeking a court order for the immediate removal of the sofa from his house, Mr. Sujesh also sought relief from the court for the mental strain and agony he suffered at the cost of the furniture.
During the court hearing, the retailer failed to turn up despite a notice issued by the court.
“It is clear from the records that the sofa was a defective one. The petitioner (Sujesh) is to be compensated for the illegal trade practice adopted by the opposite party (Frame Business),” the forum decided in its recent order.
Compensation tooThe forum ordered the retailer to cough up the price of the sofa and further pay Rs.5,000 as compensation towards failure of service and illegal trade practice.
Most significantly and much to the relief of Mr. Sujesh, the forum directed the retailer to “remove the sofa from the house of the complainant (Sujesh) after paying the above amount”.
