Guwahati: In the lead-up to Diwali, the Department of Consumer Affairs has urged manufacturers and sellers of ‘white goods’ to revise the warranty or guarantee policy to reflect commencement from the date of installation rather than the date of purchase.
White goods are large home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves that were traditionally made in a ceramic white color. Sales of these items are expected to skyrocket during the festive season when a majority of the country typically makes such purchases.
Rohit Kumar Singh, the Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs in a letter addressed to industry and retail associations and manufacturers of goods “strongly advised” them to ensure warranty policies reflect "commencement from the date of installation."
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution noted in a release that consumers are unable to use white goods until they are correctly installed on the premises as they require “installation by trained technicians.”
“It is observed that this practice leads to a reduction in the total warranty period which a consumer would have normally enjoyed from the time he could use the product after its installation,” the release further stated, adding that this issue is “further accentuated” in e-commerce purchases as an additional time is involved in the delivery of the product.
The Ministry reminded further that issuing warranty or guarantee period, when consumers are unable to use the product, constitutes an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and a contract imposing such terms is considered “unfair.” The release highlighted the need to “protect and safeguard” consumers’ interests during their festive purchases.
It may be recalled that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a Business 20 (B20) summit in August, called on businesses to shift their focus to “consumer care.” A profitable market can be sustained when there is a balance in the interests of producers and consumers, the Prime Minister opined.
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