NEW DELHI: The West Bengal state consumer commission has directed a car dealer and its workshop to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to a company over poor after-sales service for a Range Rover whose audio system developed problems soon after delivery. The commission, however, rejected the company’s demand for replacement of the vehicle or a refund of its purchase price. The order was passed on September 3, 2026.Why did the company approach the consumer commission?According to the commission order, Zeniak Innovation India Ltd purchased a Land Rover Range Rover for Rs 53,72,177 on March 31, 2019, and the vehicle was delivered on August 5, 2019. The company said the front door did not close properly and the audio system started having problems almost immediately after delivery.The vehicle was taken to the workshop on August 19, 2019. The company said repeated checks and repairs did not solve the problems. It then sought replacement of the vehicle or a refund of its price, along with compensation and damages.Lexus Motors, the vehicle dealer, denied that the vehicle had a manufacturing defect. It said the audio complaint had been attended to and the required parts or the music system had been replaced under warranty. The company eventually took back the vehicle on November 26, 2019.What did the commission find about the Range Rover’s defects?The bench comprising judicial member Rajes Guha Ray and member Santanu Sahanoted that the dealer itself had replaced the audio parts under warranty. However, it said there was not enough evidence to show that the entire Range Rover had a manufacturing defect that would justify replacing the vehicle or refunding its price.The commission also noted that Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd, the manufacturer, was not made a party to the case. It said this was important because the company had not been given an opportunity to respond to the allegation that the vehicle itself had a manufacturing defect.While the commission did not find enough evidence to order replacement of the entire vehicle, it said there was clear evidence that the audio system had a problem. It noted that the dealer itself had replaced the audio parts under warranty.“The complainant unquestionably reported an audio complaint within days of delivery. The opposite parties’ admission that audio components or the system were replaced under warranty corroborates the existence of a defect in that component at the relevant time,” the commission said.The main question, therefore, was whether the dealer had properly fixed the audio problem. When the vehicle was returned to the company on November 26, 2019, the delivery record mentioned that the front-left speaker sounded different and that the sound was continuous.The commission said this showed that the audio complaint had not been clearly settled when the vehicle was returned. It observed that the dealer should have shown through proper checks that the problem had been fixed.“The delivery record of 26 November 2019, however, does not support the opposite parties’ assertion of unqualified satisfaction. The feedback contemporaneously records that the front-left speaker sounded different and that the sound was continuous,” the bench further noted.The commission also looked at the sequence of events. The complaint was made within three days of delivery, the vehicle was taken to the workshop within about two weeks, and audio parts were replaced. The customer also mentioned the speaker problem again when taking back the vehicle.Based on these facts, the commission said the dealer had not properly closed the audio complaint.“The failure to close the admitted complaint with objective diagnostic confirmation constitutes a shortcoming in the manner of performance and hence deficiency in service within Section 2(1)(g) of the 1986 Act,” it held.The commission therefore rejected the company’s demand for replacement of the Range Rover or refund of its price. However, it held Lexus Motors Ltd and its workshop responsible for failing to properly handle and close the audio complaint. It did not find enough evidence to uphold the company’s allegation about the front door.The commission partly allowed the complaint and directed Lexus Motors Ltd and its workshop to jointly pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for poor after-sales service and Rs 50,000 as litigation costs.It also gave the dealer one final opportunity to check and fix the audio problem. If the company presents the vehicle within 30 days of receiving the certified copy of the order, the dealer must check the audio system, particularly the front-left speaker, and fix the reported problem without charging for parts or labour. This will not apply if the problem was caused by later damage or an unauthorised alteration. The inspection and repair must be completed within 15 working days.The Rs 1.5 lakh must be paid within 45 days from the date of the order. If the amount is not paid within that period, it will carry simple interest at 9 percent per annum from the date of default until payment.
