Company and its former dealer told to refund ₹23L to woman for not delivering vehicle | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: A district consumer forum here has directed Toyota Kirloskar Motor and its former Hyderabad dealer to jointly refund nearly ₹23 lakh to a 64-year-old woman who paid in full for an Innova Crysta but never received the vehicle.District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, Hyderabad, also awarded her ₹10,000 as compensation and ₹5,000 towards litigation costs.Complainant Chinayelka Vanita said she booked a Toyota Innova Crysta 2.4 ZX with authorised dealer Yashoda Krishna Automobiles (P) Ltd, Uppal, on Feb 3, 2021, by paying ₹50,000. She subsequently paid ₹10 lakh each on May 25, 2021, and Jan 6, 2022. She also took a ₹12 lakh loan and paid five EMIs of ₹29,280 each.Vanita said that despite paying ₹23 lakh, the vehicle was not delivered and the dealer remained unresponsive to her emails. She approached the commission alleging deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.The dealer was set ex parte. Toyota, however, denied liability, arguing that its dealership agreement with Yashoda Krishna Automobiles was on a “principal-to-principal” basis and that there was no direct contractual relationship with the consumer. It also pointed out that the dealership had been terminated on June 1, 2022.The commission rejected Toyota’s contention, noting that the company’s own communication to the dealer directed it to wind up operations and settle all outstanding matters, including pending customer obligations, by Aug 31, 2022.“The internal dealership arrangement or unilateral termination of the agreement between Toyota and its dealer cannot be used as a shield to deny a bona fide consumer/complainant herein the vehicle or refund of their hard-earned money,” the bench observed.The commission directed Toyota and the dealer to jointly refund ₹23 lakh to Vanita, along with ₹10,000 compensation and ₹5,000 towards costs.