How to File a Consumer Complaint in India: e-Jagriti, Limits, Fee and Time

Who can file a consumer complaint?

Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, anyone who bought goods or used a service for their own use, online or offline, is a consumer. You can complain about defective goods, deficient services, unfair trade practices, overcharging, misleading advertisements, and e-commerce problems such as a refund that never arrives or a fake product. Banks, insurers, builders, airlines, telecom companies, hospitals and online platforms are all covered for the services they sell to you.

Goods bought for resale or a large commercial purpose generally fall outside the definition, though goods used to earn a livelihood by self-employment are covered.

Step 1: try the company and the 1915 helpline first

1. Write to the company’s grievance officer or customer care by email, and keep the ticket number.
2. If it is not resolved, register a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline: call 1915, or use consumerhelpline.gov.in or its app. It forwards the complaint to the company and can mediate.
3. Send a written legal notice giving a deadline (often 15 days) to repair, replace, refund or compensate. Our legal notice format helps.

Many problems end here. If they do not, the notice and the helpline record show the Commission that you tried to settle the matter first.

Consumer court kaun sa? District, State ya National Commission

Which Commission you go to depends on the price you paid for the goods or service, not on the compensation you are claiming:

You can file where you live or work, not only where the company is based. That makes it practical to fight a case against a company headquartered in another city.

Consumer complaint fee aur time limit kya hai?

• Time limit: file within two years from the date the problem arose. If you are late, you must explain the delay and the Commission decides whether to accept it.
• Fee: there is no filing fee when the amount paid is up to ₹5 lakh. Above that, a fee applies by slab; the current slab is shown on e-Jagriti when you file.
• Lawyer: not required. You can file and argue your own case.

How to file on e-Jagriti, step by step

Consumer complaints are filed online on e-Jagriti, which took over the earlier e-Daakhil portal. Prepare these before you start:

1. The complaint itself: your details, the company’s details, the facts in date order, what went wrong, the relief you want (refund, replacement, compensation, costs) and why this Commission has jurisdiction.
2. Copies of the bill or invoice, warranty card, emails and chats, the helpline ticket, the legal notice and its delivery proof, and photos of the defect.
3. An affidavit supporting the complaint, if the portal asks for it.
4. Register on e-Jagriti, choose the right Commission and case type, fill the form and upload the documents as PDFs.
5. Pay the fee if it applies, submit, and note the case number. Track hearing dates on the portal.

TipAsk for specific amounts: the price paid, interest, compensation for harassment and litigation costs. Vague prayers get vague orders.

What happens after you file a consumer case?

The Commission first decides whether to admit the complaint. Once admitted, a notice goes to the company, which gets time to file its written reply. You may then file a rejoinder answering its points, and both sides file evidence, usually as affidavits with documents attached. After arguments, the Commission passes an order. It can direct the company to remove the defect, replace the goods, refund the price, pay compensation and pay your costs.

The Commission can also refer the matter to mediation if both sides agree, which is often faster. If either side is unhappy with the order, an appeal lies to the next higher Commission within the time the Act allows. If the company does not comply with a final order, you can ask the same Commission to enforce it.

• Keep every original bill, box, warranty card and the defective item itself until the case ends.
• Write down dates of every call and visit; a short timeline makes your complaint far easier to follow.
• Attend hearings or ask for an adjournment in writing; repeated absence can lead to dismissal.