Kia dealer fined Rs 16 lakh for delivering old model

The dealer was ordered to refund the customer Rs 14.85 lakh with 8% interest from July 2, 2020, and pay a compensation of Rs 1 lakh.

The District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum has ordered a Nagashanti Kia in Hubballi to pay Rs 15,95,110 for delivering a pre-facelift Seltos when the customer had booked the facelift version.

Nagaraj Patil had booked the HTK+ variant of the Seltos on May 28, 2020. The dealership was expected to deliver the facelift version, which was scheduled for launch on June 2. Instead, the customer was handed over the older version at the time of delivery.

The customer realised that the dealership had sold him the pre-facelift version after a month. He reached out to the dealership seeking a replacement. While his request for a replacement vehicle was refused, the dealer offered to fit the car with updated bumpers and features.

The customer then approached the consumer redressal forum and argued his case. After hearing both sides, it as found that the Kia dealer had not delivered the vehicle, which the complainant had booked. This amounted to a lapse in providing services and a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.

The dealer was ordered to refund the customer Rs 14.85 lakh with 8% interest from July 2, 2020, and pay a compensation of Rs 1 lakh. The forum also directed the dealer to pay Rs 10,000 towards expenses.

Source: ET Auto