Between January and August of this year, nearly half (48%) of the complaints submitted to the National Consumer Helpline targeted e-commerce entities, a stark contrast from the mere 8% reported in 2019.
Surge in Consumer Grievances Against E-commerce Giants: Calls for Standardized Redressal System
Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh highlighted the substantial number of grievances directed at e-commerce players and expressed concern over their conduct towards consumers. He revealed that the sector, including major players like Flipkart and Amazon, contributed significantly to the total complaints received by the helpline.
Singh noted that the department engaged in multiple discussions with e-commerce companies, emphasizing the need for a standardized grievance redressal system. According to him, the default position of all e-commerce players raises concerns about their overall behaviour towards consumers.
Nidhi Khare, the Chief Commissioner of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), shared that the e-commerce sector’s contribution to complaints had multiplied sixfold over the past three years, reaching 48% this year compared to 8% in 2019.
National Consumer Helpline: Facilitating Grievance Resolution with Increasing Industry Participation
The National Consumer Helpline, established by the Department of Consumer Affairs, serves as an avenue for consumers to file complaints. Singh mentioned that over 650 companies, including recent addition Lenovo, are connected to the helpline to address consumer grievances. Khare added that the department is encouraging 90 more companies to join the convergence program with the helpline.
Under the convergence program, companies voluntarily collaborate with the National Consumer Helpline to address complaints through their internal grievance handling systems. These partnered companies directly respond to complaints and provide feedback to complainants through the portal. Complaints against companies not part of the program are forwarded to the respective companies for resolution.
