Flipkart fined Rs 50,000 for charging extra on oil, disfiguring price tag

HYDERABAD: A consumer rights activist has sued e-commerce company Flipkart for disfiguring the price of oil packets that spiked during Covid-induced lockdown, and got compensation through legal remedies.

According to the complainant, Shaik Umar Farooq, a 20-year-old student and resident of Korlapahad village of Nalgonda district, ordered two sunflower oil packets of one litre each from Flipkart by paying a total of Rs 480 excluding delivery charges. The order was delivered to him on April 25, 2021.

However, after receiving the order, Farooq found that Flipkart was selling the oil at more than the MRP. The MRP of one litre oil packet was Rs 170. The seller intentionally disfigured the MRP sticker and sold the oil at Rs 240, which was Rs 70 more than the MRP.

During the trial, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Nalgonda, found that Flipkart collected more than MRP and there was tampering of the price sticker. The Commission also held that Flipkart “illegally extorted money” for the oil packets in question.

Holding Flipkart accountable for deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, the Commission slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on it and directed it to refund the additionally charged amount.