Bengalurean sues clinic, maker for faulty hearing aid, wins 60,000 – Times of India
BENGALURU: A Bengalurean who was sold a faulty hearing aid worth Rs 2.5 lakh took a local wellness clinic and maker of the earpiece to a city consumer court and recently won a refund, compensation of Rs 50,000 and Rs 10,000 towards court and transport expenses. On March 22, 2019, Sudeep Hemareddy Saswihalli, 43, of JP Nagar 7th Phase, purchased a Phonak hearing aid for Rs 2.5 lakh from Hearing Wellness Clinic in Nrupathunga Nagar and realised there was some defect in the device within a few mont…….
BENGALURU: A Bengalurean who was sold a faulty hearing aid worth Rs 2.5 lakh took a local wellness clinic and maker of the earpiece to a city consumer court and recently won a refund, compensation of Rs 50,000 and Rs 10,000 towards court and transport expenses.
On March 22, 2019, Sudeep Hemareddy Saswihalli, 43, of JP Nagar 7th Phase, purchased a Phonak hearing aid for Rs 2.5 lakh from Hearing Wellness Clinic in Nrupathunga Nagar and realised there was some defect in the device within a few months of use. He approached the clinic and got himself a new device, with the warranty extended till January 2023. But much to the Bengalurean’s dismay, the new hearing aid also gave him trouble. He approached the clinic and Phonak’s regional office in Langford Town, but got no positive response.
Meanwhile, Hearing Wellness Clinic attempted to pacify the customer by offering him a compensation of Rs 15,000, but Sudeep refused the refund for the hearing aid worth Rs 2.5 lakh which had failed not once but twice.
With no sign of relief from both parties, Sudeep finally approached the Bangalore Urban 2nd additional district consumer disputes redressal commission in Shantinagar with a complaint against Hearing Wellness Clinic and Phonak.
In the court proceedings that began in December 2020, Sudeep’s lawyer presented his case, while the advocate who appeared on behalf of the clinic claimed that the hearing aid was replaced once, but the complainant had been making untenable allegations and abusing the law. Phonak representatives failed to appear in court.
In their verdict pronounced on December 1, 2021, judges of the consumer forum slammed Hearing Wellness Clinic and Phonak for not addressing Sudeep’s concerns and failing to refund or replace his hearing aid, which they termed deficiency in service.
The court directed the clinic and Phonak to jointly refund Rs 2.5 lakh to Sudeep, apart from paying him Rs 5,000 towards transport expenses and Rs 5,000 towards court expenses and Rs 50,000 as compensation for the trouble caused. The forum said all payments must be made within 60 days of the order.
