All Provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 have come into force from 24th July, 2020 including the Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2020, says Paswan

Later, Ram Vilas Paswan informed the media that all the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 have come into force from 24^th July, 2020 including the Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2020. The new Consumer Protection Act 2019 was implemented throughout the country from 20.7.2020. In his address, Mr. Paswan said that the new Act provides several measures, through rules, for the purposes of preventing unfair trade practices in e-commerce and also to protect the interest and rights of the consumers by establishing mechanism for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers' disputes. He said that the Central Government has accordingly notified the Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2020. He further added that the rules will apply to all goods and services bought or sold over digital or electronic network, all models of e-commerce, including marketplace (such as Amazon and Flipkart) and inventory models (where the e-commerce entity also owns the stocks). These Rules specify duties and liabilities of the e-commerce entities (market place & inventory model) and sellers on market place e-commerce entities.

He said that the e-commerce entities will be required to provide details on their platforms about their legal name, principal geographic address of headquarters/all branches, name and details of website and contact details like e-mail address, fax, landline and mobile numbers of customer care as well as of grievance officer. They are also required to provide information relating to return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of payment, grievance redressal mechanism, payment methods, security of payment methods, charge-back options, etc. Under the rules, e-commerce entities should not impose cancellation charges on consumers cancelling orders after confirmation unless similar charges are also borne by them in case of unilateral cancellation of orders by them.

In case of an e-commerce entity offering imported goods or services for sale, it has to mention the name and details of the importer. A seller on a market place will provide all relevant details about the goods and services offered for sale including country of origin which are necessary for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage.

The Minister said that every e-commerce entity is required to establish a grievance redressal mechanism and to appoint a grievance officer, whose name, designation, contact details are required to be displayed on its platform. The e-commerce entities are to ensure that the grievance officer acknowledges the receipt of any consumer complaint within forty-eight hours and redresses the complaint within one month from the date of receipt of the complaint.

He said that the violation of the rules will be dealt with under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. In case of class action regarding unfair trade practice and misleading advertisements, the Central Consumer Protection Authority can take action. For any compensation, a consumer can approach a Consumer Commission of appropriate jurisdiction.