AI generated image used for representational purposeNEW DELHI: A district consumer commission in Punjab, on July 14, ordered Whirlpool India to refund the price of a faulty air conditioner and pay compensation to a customer, after finding that the AC started giving problems soon after it was installed and kept developing the same fault again and again, even though it was repaired several times while still under warranty.How did the defective AC dispute begin?The complainant, a 68-year-old ex-army man, bought a 1.5-ton Whirlpool split AC for Rs 33,450 from an authorised dealer in Amritsar on May 16, 2024. He said the AC wasn't cooling well and its auto-cut feature kept going wrong right from the time it was set up, according to the court order.He first complained to the service centre on May 25, 2024. Technicians came and fixed it, but the same problem kept coming back — four to five times between July and August 2024. Every time, it got fixed for a bit, but the fault would show up again.He stopped using the AC over winter. But when he turned it on again in March 2025, the same problem showed up once more. He complained on Whirlpool's toll-free number and also sent the company an email, but got no reply. He also said the service centre later told him the AC had a manufacturing fault that could never be fixed properly.He then went to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Amritsar, asking for his money back, compensation, and legal costs. The service centre defended itself in the case, but the manufacturer, even though it showed up before the commission, never sent in its written reply and lost its chance to do so. The dealer didn't show up at all, so the case went ahead against it without anyone defending it.Why did the consumer court rule against Whirlpool?The bench comprising President Jagdishwar Kumar Chopra and Member Mandeep Kaur noted that the purchase invoice, complaint records and the complainant's unrebutted testimony established that the air conditioner had started malfunctioning almost immediately after installation. It further observed that despite repeated complaints during the warranty period and several repair visits, the manufacturer failed to permanently fix the defect or replace the unit."It is evident from the material available on record that the air conditioner started malfunctioning almost immediately after its installation. The defect repeatedly recurred despite several repair visits during the warranty period... The repeated recurrence of the same defect despite several repair attempts clearly establishes that the product suffered either from an inherent manufacturing defect or from a defect which could not be effectively rectified by the authorized service centre," the bench added.The commission also said a customer shouldn't have to keep going back to the service centre for the same problem while the AC is still under warranty. Pointing to an earlier ruling by the national consumer commission about a faulty vehicle, it said that if a fault keeps coming back even after several repairs, that counts as poor service and unfair business behaviour."A consumer cannot be expected to repeatedly approach the service centre for the same defect during the warranty period. Reliance in this context has been placed upon Maruti Sazuki India Ltd. Vs. Dr. Koneru Satya Kishore & Ors. Of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi 1(2008) CPJ 157(NC)," the court further added.The bench then looked at whether the dealer and the service centre were also to blame. It found nothing to show they had done anything wrong on their own, and said it's the manufacturer's job to honour the warranty and replace a faulty product. So it dropped the case against the dealer and the service centre, and held Whirlpool India responsible instead."The principal responsibility to honour the warranty and replace a defective product rests upon the manufacturer i.e. Opposite Parties No.1 and 2. As such, Opposite Party No.4 cannot be made held liable with liability for replacement or refund in the facts of the present case," the bench noted.The commission told Whirlpool India to refund the Rs 33,450 he had paid for the AC, along with 7 per cent interest a year from the date he filed the complaint until the money is paid, once he returns the faulty AC.It also gave him Rs 10,000 for the stress, harassment and trouble he went through, plus Rs 5,000 to cover his legal costs. In total, Whirlpool has to pay him Rs 48,450, not counting the interest, and it has 45 days from getting a copy of the order to do so.