Consumer court orders manufacturer, dealer to pay ₹1.33 lakh to Thrissur man over defective e-scooter

Thrissur: The Thrissur Consumer Court has ruled in favour of a man who filed a complaint over defects in an electric scooter he purchased in September 2018 from Thalore. The court ordered a total payment of ₹1,33,750, including the price of the scooter and compensation.

Dijeesh K M, a resident of Thottippal, filed the complaint against the owner of Rapid Motors in Thalore, Thrissur, and the managing director of Okinawa Autotech Private Limited, Khuskara, Rajasthan. Dijeesh had purchased the electric scooter for ₹88,750. He said that the vehicle did not provide the mileage promised by the company and that its batteries repeatedly developed faults.

According to the complainant, the opposite parties had represented that the scooter would provide a mileage of 150 kilometres on a single full charge. However, from the beginning, the scooter delivered only 90 kilometres on a full charge, and its performance progressively deteriorated.

Despite six battery replacements, the vehicle remained unfit for use. He also added that the opposite parties failed to provide proper servicing, stating that replacement batteries were no longer available, and that the vehicle eventually became unusable. The tyres also suffered from abnormal one-sided wear.

Following the complaint, the court appointed an expert commissioner to inspect the vehicle. The inspection report found defects in the scooter's design and manufacturing. Scientific analysis revealed that the defects originated from the manufacturing process itself. The chassis had manufacturing defects that affected wheel alignment. The report also found that the vehicle was improperly designed, using lead-acid batteries for a high-power motor.

The court observed that the complainant had lost the very benefit for which he had purchased the scooter. After considering the evidence, the Thrissur Consumer Court directed the manufacturer, Okinawa, to refund the scooter's purchase price of ₹88,750 and pay ₹30,000 as compensation. The court also ordered the seller, Rapid Motors, to pay ₹15,000. Advocate A D Benny appeared for the complainant.