Paid ₹1.15 lakh to move goods to Nagaland, got damaged TV and 23 missing items; what did consumer commission order?
A woman who paid ₹1.15 lakh to shift her household belongings from Delhi to Nagaland received her consignment nearly two months late, with 23 items missing and several others damaged, including her LED television and air conditioner.
The South Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has now directed the packers and movers and Urban Company to pay her a combined compensation of ₹3.5 lakh for deficient services, mental agony and harassment, according to The Economic Times report.
The complainant, identified as Longchar, had booked the relocation service through Urban Company in September 2020. She hired the moving company to transport her household belongings, including furniture, electronic appliances, fixtures and her car, from Delhi to Dimapur in Nagaland.
Delhi to Nagaland relocation: What went wrong?
The household goods were loaded onto the moving company’s truck on September 20, 2020. However, the delivery was considerably delayed. While Longchar received her car on October 23, 2020, the household belongings reached her only on November 19, almost two months after the shipment was dispatched.
The delivery was also incomplete. On checking the consignment, she discovered that the truck contained only 70 of the 93 household items that had been loaded for transportation. The remaining 23 items were missing.
Several of the delivered belongings were damaged as well. Longchar alleged that her air conditioner had arrived in a broken condition and was beyond repair. Her LED television was damaged, while crockery, utensils, electronic appliances and other electrical goods were also found broken during unpacking.
Packers and movers allegedly refused responsibility
According to Longchar, the moving company initially refused to accept responsibility for the damaged goods and instead blamed other parties.
Following repeated efforts, the movers reportedly agreed to pay ₹25,000 for the damaged air conditioner. They also assured her that compensation for the other damaged products would be provided after the remaining belongings were delivered.
The company further promised to send the 23 missing items through a courier service. However, Longchar told the commission that she never received the promised shipment.
Aggrieved by the delay, missing belongings and damage, she approached the consumer commission seeking a refund of the ₹1.15 lakh paid for the service. She also demanded ₹4 lakh in damages, ₹1.50 lakh for financial losses, ₹50,000 for mental tension and trauma, and ₹60,000 towards litigation expenses. Her total claim amounted to ₹7.75 lakh.
What did the consumer commission say about Urban Company?
The commission issued notices to the packers and movers and Urban Company. However, no representative appeared on behalf of the moving company.
Urban Company contested the complaint, stating that it operates a managed marketplace through which customers can access services offered by independent third-party providers. It argued that it had no liability to pay or reimburse any amount to the complainant.
The commission, however, did not accept this argument. It examined the documents submitted by Longchar, which showed that the moving company had a service rating of 4.45 on Urban Company’s platform.
The panel observed that the complainant would have considered the service provider’s rating before deciding to book its services.
“Hence the plea of OP-3 (Urban Company) that it is merely an intermediary who provides a common platform from where the consumers can engage the services of third party cannot be absolved of its liability,” the panel said, as per ET.
Taking into account the delayed delivery, damaged air conditioner and LED television, and the 23 missing household items, the commission held the moving company “grossly deficient in service”.
What compensation did the consumer panel order?
After examining the complaint and the evidence, the South Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed both companies to compensate Longchar.
The commission directed the packers and movers to pay ₹3 lakh as compensation for deficient services and the damage and loss of household belongings. It also ordered Urban Company to pay ₹50,000 towards compensation for mental agony, harassment and litigation costs. Both parties were instructed to make the payments within three months from the date of the order.
