Court slams Honda, dealer for saying customer unfit to ride

BENGALURU: A city consumer court came down heavily on two-wheeler giant

Honda

and its dealer in the city for tagging a Bengaluru customer ‘physically unfit’ to ride their motorcycle, and ordered a full refund of Rs 75,558 for his vehicle which is to be paid by both parties.

In a rather unique case to be tried at the consumer court, the Bengaluru Rural and Urban 1st Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal

Forum

heard the plea of

Manjunatha

, a 31-year-old

Vijayanagar

resident, who bought a new

Honda Unicorn CB

160 motorcycle from dealer Prime Auto Kraft in Vijayanagar on January 16, 2016.

After riding 800km on the road, the Bengalurean reported to the Prime Honda service station engine problems, the bike wobbling and abruptly stopping on reaching 50km speed.

Manjunatha then took his motorcycle to the service station in Vijayanagar on February 6, 2016.

When problems persisted with the brand new twowheeler, he contacted Honda customer care, only to be promised all rectifications and fresh parts. But a second and third servicing saw no signs of the same.

Manjunatha claimed he was taunted by the Honda dealer for his short stature, who stated that the problem was not with the motorcycle but with his physical inability to ride such a vehcile.

This incident of him being tagged unfit to ride the motorcycle primarily drove Manjunatha to lodge a complaint with the city consumer court on August 8, 2016, against Honda Motorcycles and

Scooters India

and their Bengaluru dealer Prime Honda.

In a litigation lasting over 14 months, the judges heard several versions of the customer, Honda company and its dealer. Honda maintained there was no defect with the vehicle, but that Manjunatha was physically unfit to ride a Honda Unicorn motorcycle; his legs couldn’t reach the clutch or the brake.

At the same time, the dealer also stressed on the stature of Manjunatha by even recalling that he was warned against purchasing the motorcycle during the time of booking in January 2016.

However, Manjunatha said a faulty motorcycle was sold to him and the manufacturers and dealers are pointing to his short stature to hide deficiency in service.

Finally in an order pronounced on October 24, 2017, the judges slammed Honda and its Bengaluru dealer by pointing to the service job sheets, which show the customer raising problems with the motorcycle on all three occasions during servicing, but there were no records of any rectification from the service department’s side.

The court noted that it is unfair on the part of the company and dealer to blame an alleged physical inability of a customer for problems in the motorcycle, which they ultimately failed to prove.

Thereafter, the consumer court ordered Honda and its dealer to refund Rs. 75,558 (exshowroom price of the vehicle) to Manjunatha within 30 days apart from Rs 2,000 towards his court expenses.