Auto major, dealer asked to pay ₹6 lakh over car glitches

Thane District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held leading car manufacturer Skoda Auto India Pvt Ltd and its dealer guilty of deficiency in services and asked them to pay more than ₹six lakh to a man over complaints about glitches in the car he had purchased.

Commission president S Z Pawar and its member Poonam V Maharshi passed the order earlier this month.

Dhanesh Mothe, a resident of Dahanu in neighbouring Palghar district had approached the commission saying that he had purchased the car worth over ₹eight lakh from JMD Auto Pvt Ltd, a Skoda dealer, in 2014.

While using the car, he encountered several problems like brake failure, malfunctioning suspension and power window, he said in the complaint.

Despite informing about these issues, the company did not act on it, he said in the complaint.

He approached the commission seeking replacement of his "defective" vehicle.

In its order, the commission observed that the company failed in removing the defects in the vehicle and providing a defect-free vehicle as per warranty.

"Therefore, we hold them guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. However, as the complainant has used the vehicle for more than 60,000 kms, its replacement or refund of entire cost cannot be granted," it added.

"In our view, the complainant is entitled for refund of 75 per cent cost of the vehicle, that is ₹6,10,078 along with nine per cent interest from the date of this complaint alongwith ₹10,000 towards the cost of the complaint," the commission said.