The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on 30th April 2022, has issued an Advisory to e-commerce entities concerning selling or facilitating sale of wireless jammers to consumers through their e-commerce platforms.
As per the Guidelines issued by the Government of India, Jammers may be allowed only under exceptional circumstances, only when authorized by Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat. Under Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, CCPA is empowered to protect, promote and enforce the rights of consumers as a class, and prevent violation of consumers’ rights. Further, CCPA is empowered to prevent unfair trade practices and ensure that no person engages himself in unfair trade practices.
Recently, CCPA issued Safety Notices under Section 18(2)(j) of the Act to alert and caution consumers against buying goods which do not hold valid ISI Mark and violate compulsory BIS standards. The first Safety Notice was issued with regard to Helmets, Pressure Cookers and Cooking gas cylinders and the second Safety Notice was issued with regard to household goods including electric immersion water heaters, sewing machines, microwave ovens, domestic gas stoves with LPG etc.
To safeguard consumer rights while shopping online, CCPA has also issued an Advisory to all marketplace e-commerce entities to ensure that details of sellers as mandated under sub-rule (5) of rule 6 of the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 including name and contact number of the grievance officer are provided in a clear and accessible manner, displayed prominently to users on the platform.
As per Rule 6(5) Any seller offering goods or services through a marketplace e-commerce entity shall provide the following information to the e-commerce entity to be displayed on its platform or website:
(a) all contractual information required to be disclosed by law;
(b) total price in single figure of any good or service, along with the breakup price for the good or service, showing all the compulsory and voluntary charges such as delivery charges, postage and handling charges, conveyance charges and the applicable tax, as applicable;
(c) all mandatory notices and information provided by applicable laws, and the expiry date of the good being offered for sale, where applicable;
(d) all relevant details about the goods and services offered for sale by the seller including country of origin which are necessary for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the prepurchase stage;
(e) the name and contact numbers, and designation of the grievance officer for consumer grievance redressal or for reporting any other matter etc.
