Consumer Forum
The Consumers’ Forum was founded in 1980 before the Consumer Act officially existed. It began by doing awareness campaigns at institutions, universities, and public places, and it developed from that. It was originally created in 1988 and is presently engaged in consumer awareness and outreach initiatives.
Consumers’ Forum creates and distributes a quarterly bulletin to consumers. It is involved in resolving customer concerns via lectures, conferences, brochures, and writing competitions. It resolves customer grievances on its website. Also, it collaborates with India’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs to solve a variety of issues.
Consumer forums are a number of organizations that have emerged and collaborated as a result of the Indian consumer wave. The government provides financial aid to consumer forums in order to raise public knowledge about consumer protection. Individual customers are also represented by consumer forums in courts. Consumer rights committees are another name for consumer forums.
Filing Complaint in Consumer Forum
If you have any complaints regarding the quality of a brand, products, or services as a customer, you can submit a consumer complaint and demand a remedy. Various forms of complaints, based on the particular situation, can be submitted by attending the relevant consumer court and presenting the requisite documentation.
In District Consumer Forum
The complaints can always be submitted on a piece of paper and filed individually or via an authorized representative, once it has been officially notarized, by registered or ordinary mail. When submitting the case, you must supply the opposing entity with direct and judicial notification.
You must submit 4 duplicates, and other duplicates for each opposing side. And the complaint must be submitted inside 2 years of the creation of the basis for action. For matters totaling up to Rs. 1 lakh, the court charge is zero for people with Antyodaya Anna Yojana cards and Rs. 100 for everyone else. The suit charge for cases up to Rs. 5 lakh is Rs. 200, the courts charge for disputes up to Rs. 10 lakh is Rs 400, and the lawsuit charge for instances up to Rs. 20 lakh is Rs. 500. The DD shall be made payable to the President, Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.
In State Consumer Forum
Complaints involving more than Rs 20 lakh in products or services can be submitted, and rulings of the lower court can be appealed at the State Consumer Forum inside 30 days of the judgment has issued.
The courtroom charge is Rs. 2,000 for lawsuits exceeding Rs 20 lakh and up to Rs 50 lakh, and Rs 4,000 for matters exceeding Rs 1 crore. The DD shall be paid due in that state exclusively to the registrar, (name of) state commission. To lodge an application, you will require the necessary documents:
- Papers of reference containing the accurate names and residences of all respondents;
- A signed copy of the judgment of the lower court;
- Over 4 extra photocopies for every participant in order to file an appeal;
- Every conditioned delay, interim injunction, or other petition must be accompanied by an affidavit; and
- The appellants / opposing parties must provide a statutory deposit of Rs. 25,000 or 50% of the verdict / settlement sum, whichever is smaller.
In National Consumer Forum
A discontented customer has one month from when the order was issued to submit an objection exclusively with the national commission or to appeal against verdicts of the state commission. The judicial cost is Rs 5,000, and the DD must be made out to The Registrar of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Filing an appeal with the state or national commission is free of charge. Applicants have 30 days to make an appeal against the national commission’s judgments at the Supreme Court.
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