Dettol, the popular antiseptic liquid by Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd may not be trustworthy to use as the producing company was fined compensation of Rs. 10,000 after the consumer found dead insects in the Dettol bottle and then moved to the consumer forum in New Delhi.
As per the complaint Ashutosh Pandey, a resident of Delhi purchased a 500ml. bottle of Dettol for Rs. 74 from a local medical shop in Delhi and found dead insects in it. But despite informing Reckitt Benckiser, on its helpline number and through several emails, as the issue was not addressed by the manufacturing company or the medical shop, he then proceeded to the North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum asking for justice.
The forum held that, “”Since apparently the Dettol bottle contains insects, in our opinion, the product was not fit for human use particularly when the same was required to be used as an antiseptic agent. The said product did not qualify the standards which are required to be maintained by a producer or a seller.”
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“Therefore, opposite party 2 (Reckitt Benckiser) has produced the defective goods whereas opposite party 1 (the medical shop) has sold the defective goods to the complainant, hence, both are liable”.
Hence, a bench of the forum headed by Babu Lal directed Reckitt Benckiser and the medical shop to refund the cost of the 500 ml bottle of Dettol and to jointly pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to the victim.
However, the case was decided ex-parte, since the manufacturing company did not contest the case and only the Medical shop (which had sold the bottle) appeared before the forum and argued that the buyer has to be careful while purchasing a product and the liability is solely that of the manufacturer, but the claim was rejected by the forum.