Parliament Question: After-Sales Service

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1156 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.02.2026 AFTER-SALES SERVICE 1156. SHRI I.S. INBADURAI Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is addressing e-commerce platforms disclaiming after-sales service, ensuring consumers receive timely support, repair, replacement or refund, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether Government holds online marketplaces accountable for defective products despite intermediary status, ensuring legal compliance and consumer protection, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) whether Government monitors response and resolution times of online sellers, enforcing 48-hour complaint acknowledgment and one-month resolution under Consumer Protection Act, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE, CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L VERMA) (a) to (c) : Department of Consumer Affairs is continuously working for protection and empowerment of consumers by enactment of progressive legislations. With a view to modernize the framework governing consumer protection in the era of globalization, technologies, e-commerce markets etc., the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was enacted. To safeguard the interests of consumers from unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 on 23rd July, 2020 under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. These rules, inter-alia, outline the responsibilities of e-commerce entities and specify the liabilities of marketplace and inventory e-commerce entities, including provisions for consumer grievance redressal. As per the provisions of these rules, every e- commerce entity must appoint a grievance officer and prominently display the officer’s name, designation and contact details on its platform. The grievance officer shall acknowledge any consumer complaint within forty-eight hours and redress it within one month from the date of receipt.The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for their grievance redressal at a pre-litigation stage. Consumers can register their grievances from all over the country in 17 languages including Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Maithili, Santhali, Bengali, Odia, Assamese and Manipuri through a toll-free number 1915. These grievances can be registered on Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni- channel IT enabled central portal, through various channels- WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca@gov.in), the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in) and the Umang app, as per their convenience. 1,185 companies, who have voluntarily partnered with NCH as part of the ‘Convergence’ programme directly respond to these grievances according to their redressal process and revert by providing a feedback to the complainant on the portal. The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has successfully facilitated refund of ₹46 crore to consumers between 25th April 2025 and 31st December 2025. This significant redressal was achieved across 31 sectors, effectively addressing 69,058 consumer grievances related to refund claims. Also, to protect the rights of consumers to be informed about goods & services and access to variety of services and the right to be informed, a Right to Repair Portal India (https://righttorepairindia.gov.in/) was launched by the Department of Consumer Affairs on the occasion of the Nation Consumer Rights Day 2022 to provide easy access to important information for repair and service. As on 03.02.2026, a total of sixty-six (66) companies have been on-boarded on the Right to Repair Portal, India. The portal aims to democratize repair-related information across four key sectors: Automobiles, Consumer Durables, Mobile & Electronics, and Farming Equipment. Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), an executive agency, came into existence on 24.07.2020. It is designed to intervene, to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices and to initiate class action(s), including the enforcement of recalls, refunds and return of products. Action has already been taken by the CCPA against various entities, including e-commerce platforms, for affecting consumers, as a class, for violation of consumer rights, false and misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices as defined under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Action has also been taken against the sale of domestic pressure cookers that do not meet compulsory BIS standards on e-commerce platforms. Further, 13,118 listings of car seat belt alarm stopper clips have been delisted from major e-commerce platforms based on the Orders passed by CCPA to delist all such products which violate consumer rights and are unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 as the sale or marketing of said product compromises with the life and safety of consumer by stopping alarm beep when not wearing seat belts. Also, CCPA directed sellers of e-commerce platforms to recall 515 toys which were being sold on e-commerce platforms in violation to mandatory standards and QCO notified for toys. The CCPA has also notified Guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment including Walkie Talkies on E-Commerce Platforms, 2025. These guidelines have been notified to curb the unauthorized sale of wireless devices that may pose risks to consumer safety, mislead consumers regarding their legal position and interfere with critical communication networks, including those used by law enforcement and emergency services. Further, the CCPA action follows the identification of over 16,970 non-compliant walkie-talkie listings across platforms and also imposed penalties of ₹10 lakh each on Meesho, Flipkart, Amazon and Meta Platforms Inc, and ₹1 lakh each on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro and MaskMan Toys. *****