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Court Orders Ford To Compensate Customer With Rs 29 Lakh And A New Endeavour - Legal Battle
Legal battles between consumers and car manufacturers are pretty common nowadays. One such case was recently reported in Chhattisgarh, where a customer who purchased a Ford Endeavour won compensation of Rs 29.13 lakh and a brand-new car.
The customer had been experiencing persistent problems with the SUV since buying it nearly seven years ago. The court ruled in favor of the customer, holding Ford India Pvt Ltd. responsible for selling a faulty vehicle.
In response to the dispute, Justice Gautam Chourdiya of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered the dealer to give the customer a new car of the same model, which had been manufactured recently.
Also, Ford has to pay the customer, a compensation of Rs 29.13 lakh, the vehicle's on-road price back then, along with 6 per cent interest for the last seven years.
Additionally, the court has directed the car manufacturer to compensate the customer with Rs 25,000 for the distress and inconvenience caused and Rs 10,000 to cover the expenses incurred during the legal proceedings.
The customer purchased a Ford Endeavour SUV from GK Ford dealership in Raipur in 2016, with a factory warranty of either 1,00,000 km or two years. After owning the vehicle for one year, problems started to arise.
The car broke down multiple times, and there were instances when it wouldn't even start. In February 2017, the customer experienced a breakdown between Kondagoan and Bastar, marking the fourth time such an issue had occurred, despite the vehicle being just one year old.
Surprisingly, when the customer requested the RSA (roadside assistance), the dealer didn't respond to his calls and emails. He even sent a relative to the dealership to seek help, but they denied.
As these issues continued, the customer asked the dealer to fix the car properly, as the SUV was under warranty. However, the dealer refuted the complaint and denied the allegations, even claiming that the customer who raised the issue was not their company's consumer.
Frustrated with the response, the customer took the matter to court, and the court formed a commission. The commission included a team to inspect the vehicle, and the technical expert, after a detailed examination, discovered that the vehicle had manufacturing defects beyond repair.
After finding the issue, the commission carefully reviewed the statements from the customer and the dealer. It ultimately arrived at a decision that sided with the customer and asked the manufacturer to compensate for the faulty vehicle.
The interesting fact is that Ford officially left the Indian market in 2021. Ford has discontinued the production of Endeavor, but a similar SUV, Everest, is offered in other markets. The dealership that sold the Endeavor now sells Citroen cars.
Thoughts On The Courts Order Against Ford
With the court ordering Ford to pay Rs 29.13 lakh as compensation and provide a brand new Endeavour SUV to the customer, it sends a strong message to car manufacturers to uphold their responsibilities and deliver vehicles free from defects.
It remains to be seen how this verdict will be implemented, as Ford exited the Indian market two years ago. Surely, they'll find a middle ground for the verdict, but the details are unavailable.
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