Artificial finger lacks promised thumb impression, company told to pay Rs 40,000

A man, an engineering graduate, lost two fingers in an accident and paid Rs 20,000 for a custom-built artificial finger prosthesis. The Pudukkottai district consumer commission ruled in his favor, directing the company to refund the money and pay Rs 20,000 in compensation and costs, asserting the company's deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

The company assured a specific size, colour, and thumb impression, but delivered a product that was of the wrong size, colour, and did not have the promised thumb impression. The man, despite making multiple attempts to contact the company, received no response or corrective action. He suffered hardship and mental anguish due to the defective product, which was unusable and prevented him from appearing for his examinations.

The commission noted that the company had failed to deliver a functional prosthesis as promised, and thus held the company accountable for the deficiency in service. The commission awarded Rs 10,000 as compensation for the deficiency and mental agony, along with Rs 10,000 for the costs of the proceedings.