Epitome of negligence: Consumer panel orders firm to refund Rs 71.6 lakh for shoddy Mumbai flat renovation

Mumbai: A consumer commission has directed an interior designer firm to refund over Rs 71.62 lakh to a city flat owner for incomplete and substandard renovation work and creating a "life-threatening hazard", calling its conduct the "epitome of negligence and deficiency in service".

The Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission pulled up the Bengaluru-headquartered Livspace India Private Limited for "administrative chaos and lack of professional oversight".

Key designated personnel exited the project without notice, and project managers were unilaterally substituted without the homeowner's consent, "leaving the multi-million-rupee project completely rudderless for months," it noted in the order passed on November 5.

"This erratic management directly contributed to substandard execution and severe delay," it said, holding the company guilty of gross deficiency in service and unfair trade practices.

It noted that severe safety breaches posed a "life-threatening hazard" to the flat owner's children and elderly family members.

The complainant, a resident of Goregaon in Mumbai, told the commission that he had engaged the company for the interior design and renovation of his 30th-floor apartment, paying Rs 71,62,004 in advance.

The project was initially scheduled for completion within 90 to 120 days, with a handover date of July 1, 2024, which was extended to September 1, 2024, he said. The complainant claimed the firm failed to meet the extended deadline and left the project incomplete.

He also alleged that critical safety hazards were created, citing an incident in which a kitchen shutter fell on his wife's head due to faulty installation.

Being aggrieved by the endless delays, substandard workmanship, mental agony, and unresponsiveness, he approached the consumer panel.

The matter proceeded ex parte as Livspace failed to appear before the commission, despite a notice served through newspaper publication.

The commission underlined that the company engaged in "deceptive trade practices" to extract funds by promising branded products and high-grade material, but systematically substituting them with low-grade alternatives.

It also expressed deep shock and dismay over the "gross negligence and hazardous workmanship."

"The record evidences severe safety breaches, including uninsulated live electrical wires left exposed behind bed panels, posing a life-threatening hazard to the complainant's children and elderly family members," the commission highlighted.

"Leaving a residential premises in such a dangerous, unfinished, and structurally compromised state represents the epitome of negligence and deficiency in service," it added.

Besides the refund of Rs 71.62 lakh, along with 9 per cent annual interest from September 1, 2024, the firm has been asked to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the complainant for mental agony, physical harassment, and safety risks.

The commission also ordered Rs 50,000 to be paid to the complainant towards litigation costs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)