Odisha consumer court slaps Rs 20,000 fine on Flipkart for cancelling customer’s order

A consumer court in Odisha’s Berhampur has imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on e-commerce giant Flipkart for cancelling a customer’s order and directed the penalty money to be handed over to him.

Gandhi Behera breathed a sigh of relief after winning the legal battle against Flipkart as it took him one long year to finally get justice. Reports suggest that Flipkart has already handed over a cheque of Rs 20,000 to Gandhi.

As per the complaint, Gandhi came across a pair of shoes while scrolling through Flipkart. Originally priced at Rs 4,999, the shoes were on offer for Rs 975. Without a second thought, Gandhi ordered the shoes online and was waiting for the delivery.

However, a day after he learnt that his order had been cancelled by Flipkart. A dejected Gandhi tried to reach out to the company’s helpline and narrate his ordeal, but he was turned down. No one was ready to hear his pleas about the cancellation of his order.

Fed up, he approached the National Consumer helpline which advised him to lodge a complaint with the local consumer court. As per the direction, Gandhi knocked on the door of Ganjam District Consumer Court and lodged a complaint in this regard.

In his complaint, he accused Flipkart of showing fake offers to lure customers, cancelling orders without customer’s consent and mental harassment. After hearing the case, the district court defended Gandhi’s rights as a customer and penalised Flipkart of Rs 20,000.

Acting on the orders of the court, the online shopping firm handed over a cheque of Rs 20,000 to Gandhi, reports said.