“Companies are duty-bound to make available spare parts to customers even after they have stopped production,” the Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has said.
While upholding the ‘right to repair’ of each customer, it directed Samsung India Electronics to pay ₹96,000 to a consumer. This follows a case filed before the Commission by Cdr (retd.) Keerthi M. Kurian, who had retired from the Indian Navy. He had purchased a double-door refrigerator manufactured by the firm at ₹72,000 in 2016. It encountered a problem with its cooling capacity from 2021 onwards. The problem persisted despite repairs done by the firm’s technicians. Subsequently, Samsung offered to replace the refrigerator with a 15% discount.
Mr. Keerthi approached the consumer panel, citing deficiency in service. The firm contended that the one-year warranty period was over, and that the cooling problem occurred due to careless handling by the customer. An expert appointed by the court found that its spare parts were not available.
