Indian car major, Maruti Suzuki is likely to face legal action for receiving pre-launch bookings of its latest sedan, the Ciaz, without revealing the details of the vehicle. Although pre-launch booking is not an old practice, the move comes after former Railways Minister and MP Dinesh Trivedi filed a complaint. Trivedi claims that he has received many complaints from the public about the company taking pre-launch booking. Consumer affairs ministry has communicated with the car maker and asked why it shouldn’t initiate action under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
In a letter addressed to the chairman and managing director of Maruti Suzuki, Manoj Parida, joint secretary at the ministry wrote, “The Consumer Protection Act provides a consumer the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.”
In response to the letter, one of Maruti’s executive said that the consumers had an option of going through the reviews of the Ciaz before booking the vehicles. Defending manufacturer’s marketing strategy, a Maruti Suzuki spokesperson told ET Auto, “Accepting bookings for the Ciaz is in no way an unfair trade practice and nor does it violate consumer rights. The company accepts a token amount which is adjusted against the price of the car at the time of purchase. Customers are free to cancel their booking at any stage in which case the token booking amount is fully refunded.”
Do you think a legal action should be taken against Maruti Suzuki for accepting pre-launch bookings of the Ciaz? Share your thoughts and opinions through comments below. Stay tuned to Motoroids for more updates from motoring industry.
Source: ET Auto
