Consumer legal notice: format under the Consumer Protection Act

What a consumer legal notice is

A consumer legal notice is a formal letter you send to a seller, manufacturer or service provider before you go to the Consumer Commission. It tells them, in writing, three things:

1. what you bought or paid for, and when;
2. what went wrong — a defect in a product, or a deficiency in a service, as the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 calls them (Section 2);
3. what you want, and by when.

It goes in your name. Its job is to give the company one clear, final chance to put things right, and to create a record you can show the Commission if it does not.

When to use it

Use it when:

• a product you bought has a fault and the seller or brand will not repair, replace or refund it;
• a service you paid for was not delivered, or was done badly — a builder, courier, coaching centre, hospital, bank, insurer, gym or airline;
• you were charged more than the agreed or displayed price;
• the company refuses to take back a defective product, or stop a deficient service, and refund you within the period on the bill, or within 30 days where the bill says nothing — which the Act calls an unfair trade practice (Section 2(47)).

For an online order, the e-commerce refund notice emailed to the platform's grievance officer is usually the better fit. See online order not refunded.

What the notice must contain

• Your details: name, address, phone and email.
• The other side's details: the company's registered or office address. Name each party responsible — seller, manufacturer, service centre.
• The purchase: what, when, invoice or order number, amount paid.
• What went wrong: the defect or deficiency, with dates. Plain facts, no adjectives.
• What you have tried: dates of calls, emails, complaint numbers, service visits.
• The law: that this is a defect, deficiency or unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• Your demand: repair, replacement, refund with interest, compensation, or a mix. These match what the Commission itself can order under Section 39, so ask for what you can show.
• The time given, and that you will file a complaint before the Consumer Commission if it is not met.
• Date and signature.

Sample consumer legal notice

LEGAL NOTICE UNDER THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 2019

Date: [date]

By registered post with acknowledgement due

To,

1. [Name of the seller], [full address]
2. [Name of the manufacturer or service provider], [registered office address]

Subject: Defect in [product] / deficiency in [service] — demand for [refund / replacement / repair] and compensation

Sir/Madam,

1. I, [your name], residing at [your address], bought [product, model, serial number] from you on [date] under invoice no. [number], for [amount paid] paid by [mode of payment]. (For a service: I engaged you on [date] to [describe the service] for [amount paid].)

2. On [date], [describe the defect or deficiency in plain facts]. I reported this to you on [date(s)] by [call / email / visit], complaint no. [number]. [Describe what was done — e.g. the product was repaired on [date] and failed again on [date].]

3. Despite these complaints, you have not [repaired / replaced / refunded / completed the service]. The [product suffers from a defect / service suffers from a deficiency] within the meaning of Section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and your refusal to [take back the product / refund the amount] is an unfair trade practice under that Act.

4. I therefore call upon you, within [15] days of receiving this notice, to: (a) [refund the amount of [amount paid] with interest / replace the product with a new one free of defects / complete the service]; (b) pay [amount] as compensation for [the loss, expense and inconvenience caused — describe briefly]; and (c) pay [amount] towards the cost of this notice.

5. If you fail to do so, I shall file a complaint against you before the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, at your risk as to costs and consequences.

Copies of the invoice and correspondence are enclosed.

[Signature] [Your name] [Phone] · [Email]

Keep every claim in the notice to something you can prove with a paper. If you are not sure of a date, check before you write it.

How to send it

• Registered post with acknowledgement due (or speed post) to each party's office address. Keep the postal receipt and the tracking printout.
• Email a copy to the company's customer-care or grievance address as well. It does no harm, but do not rely on email alone.
• Keep a signed copy of exactly what you sent.

What happens next

• They put it right. Get it in writing — the refund reference, the replacement's invoice.
• They reply and refuse. Keep the reply. Your next step is a complaint to the Consumer Commission.
• They ignore it. Same next step. You can file in the District Commission where you live or work. The complaint must be filed within two years of the problem arising (Section 69); the notice does not stop that clock. Read the Consumer Commission complaint.

Mistakes that weaken a notice

• Vague facts. "Your product is useless" proves nothing. Give dates, model numbers and complaint numbers.
• Inflated demands. A claim you cannot support makes the rest look weak.
• The wrong address. A shop's counter may not be the company's office. Check the invoice, the website and the warranty card.
• No time limit, or "as soon as possible". Give a definite period.
• Threats beyond the law. Say you will go to the Consumer Commission. Leave out threats of police or the press.

What eMunshi's notice includes

Answer the questions in about six minutes and see a free preview. The notice is checked and sealed by an independent panel advocate, sent by registered post with tracking, and comes with two revisions — ₹899, all-inclusive. If the other side still does not respond, an independent advocate from our panel can take the complaint to the Commission and quotes before you pay. If you are unsure whether you have a case at all, a 30-minute call starts at ₹999.