KOCHI: Even if the production is stopped, it is the responsibility of the companies to provide spare parts for the sold products, said the Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Court. The court ordered Samsung India Electronics to pay Rs 96,000 as compensation to the customer for not repairing the device. A bench comprising of Commission Chairman D B Binu, members Vaikom Ramachandran and T N Sreevidya came up with the decision. The order came from the complaint filed by an Ernakulam native Kirti M Kuryan, who was a commander in the Indian Navy.

The cooling capacity of the double-door refrigerator purchased by the customer in July 2016 for Rs 72,000 has been defective since 2021. The technician appointed by the company failed to fix the problem. The company then tried lame ways to evade compensation by allowing the customer a coupon to buy a new fridge at a 15% discount. The customer refused the proposal and approached the consumer court. The company argued that the warranty period of one year had expired and the fridge had no manufacturing defect and later blamed the negligence of the complainant.

A court-appointed expert reported that the fridge was not repairable and spare parts were not available. The court also reproached the company saying that the customer buys high-cost products not just to use during the warranty period. The court termed denying the right to replacement by bringing abysmal reasons as unethical and said this would only increase the number of electronic waste in the state.

The company has to pay Rs 36,000 to the customer within a month considering the five years of damage endured by the fridge. The court also ordered to pay 60,000 rupees as compensation including court costs along with 9 per cent interest.