The Repairability Index is designed to evaluate and fee merchandise primarily based on how simply they are often repaired. This initiative emphasizes the provision of important parts and spare components available in the market, making it simpler for customers to restore their merchandise somewhat than discard them, the minister instructed Mint in an interview.
“India can’t be handled as a dumping floor for inferior-quality merchandise. Producers should take duty for deficiencies in service and be held accountable,” Joshi mentioned.
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This initiative goals to assist customers make the most of their merchandise for longer intervals, as many new fashions are intentionally designed to make older variations out of date, forcing customers to buy replacements.
The star rating-type index will probably be ready in session with all the important thing stakeholders, such because the Division for Promotion of Business and Inside Commerce (DPIIT), the ministry of atmosphere, trade our bodies, producers and shopper teams, amongst others.
Simply because the Bureau of Vitality Effectivity (BEE) launched star scores for vitality effectivity, empowering customers to make knowledgeable decisions, the Repairability Index will allow customers to judge how simply a product could possibly be repaired. Merchandise with larger repairability will obtain higher scores, encouraging extra sustainable shopper choices, he mentioned.
The Repairability Index will mandate producers to ascertain service centres throughout the nation and supply restore providers inside a specified timeline.
There have been quite a few complaints registered on the Nationwide Client Helpline (NCH) relating to premium automobiles and shopper durables manufactured by multinational corporations. These complaints spotlight delays of as much as 45 days for the cargo of spare components. Such practices are towards the pursuits of customers who make investments substantial quantities of cash in these merchandise. “Prolonged wait occasions for repairs are unacceptable and should be addressed,” Joshi mentioned.
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The Repairability Index will embody all classes of merchandise, together with shopper durables and automotives, together with all forms of four-wheelers and two-wheelers.
“Getting a product repaired on time stays a major problem. After-sales service has persistently been an space of concern. The backlog of 5 lakh instances in numerous shopper courts is a transparent instance of the deplorable state of the service sector within the nation,” mentioned Ranjeet Ranjan, a member of the parliamentary standing committee on shopper affairs, meals and public distribution, and a Rajya Sabha member.
“Introducing repairability scores will undoubtedly empower customers to make knowledgeable decisions by understanding the reliability and repairability of merchandise. Moreover, this initiative will foster competitors amongst producers to enhance their providers and make sure the availability of spare components to realize higher scores,” Ranjan mentioned.
Ashim Sanyal, representing shopper teams, echoed Ranjan’s considerations and emphasised the necessity for a sturdy mechanism to ascertain and improve parameters for the Repairability Index.
“A well-defined Repairability Index is not going to solely guarantee transparency but in addition maintain producers accountable for after-sales service and the provision of spare components. It’s time to empower customers to make sustainable and knowledgeable decisions. The parameters should be designed rigorously to go away no loopholes that corporations may exploit,” mentioned Sanyal, chief govt officer, Client Voice.
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The ministry has additionally launched the E-Daakhil portal throughout all states and Union territories to boost shopper rights safety. At the moment, over 281,000 customers have registered on the portal, with 198,725 instances filed, of which 38,453 have been resolved. With its nationwide growth, the portal goals to remodel the patron rights panorama in India. E-Daakhil provides customers a straightforward, cost-effective and environment friendly on-line mechanism to file grievances.
Not too long ago, the Central Client Safety Authority (CCPA) initiated an in depth investigation into alleged “deficiencies” within the providers and merchandise of Ola Electrical, with a specific concentrate on its scooters. This motion got here in response to Ola’s replies to earlier regulatory notices on unresolved buyer grievances.
On 2 February, the ministry of shopper affairs mentioned in response to a question within the Lok Sabha that as of 30 January, 543,592 shopper instances had been pending in shopper commissions throughout the nation. Nonetheless, it added that the variety of pending instances has been declining steadily over the previous three years. There have been 560,700 pending instances in 2021, 554,809 in 2022 and 543,359 in 2023, the ministry mentioned.
On 7 August, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, minister of state for shopper affairs, meals and public distribution B.L. Verma mentioned 244,813 instances associated to actual property had been filed in shopper courts on the nationwide, state and district ranges. Of those, 194,555 instances had been disposed of, whereas 50,258 instances remained pending as of 31 July.
