Consumer protection agency asks Cloudtail India to recall 1,033 pressure cookers, pay fine

New Delhi:

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined Cloudtail India Rs 1 lakh for selling pressure cookers on Amazon in violation of the mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards.

The authority has asked Cloudtail to recall 1,033 pressure cookers and also refund the money to customers.

According to an official statement, CCPA – led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare – passed an injunction against Cloudtail India Pvt Ltd for “violating consumer rights and unfair trade practices” by selling domestic pressure cookers in violation of mandatory standards.

The standards are prescribed per Household Pressure Cooker (Quality Control) Order, 2020.

“The company was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 100,000 for selling household pressure cookers to consumers in violation of the mandatory standards prescribed under the QCO and violating consumers’ rights,” the statement said.

The CCPA launched a suo-moto action against e-commerce platforms for the sale of household pressure cookers in violation of the mandatory standard.

The CCPA had notified major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, Shopclues, and Snapdeal, as well as the merchants registered on those platforms.

“Cloudtail India Pvt Ltd is the seller of a pressure cooker which is ‘Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker with Outer Lid, 4 L (gives no pressure warning per whistle)’” the statement said.

The pressure cooker was put up for sale to consumers on Amazon’s e-commerce platform.

Cloudtail stated in its reply to CCPA that it had suspended the import of the pressure cooker after the entry into force of the QCO (Quality Control Order).

CCPA noted that although imports had been suspended, the company had not stopped selling such pressure cookers to consumers.

“In fact, this submission clearly indicated that, despite being aware of the QCO, the company was still selling such pressure cookers to consumers in general,” the statement said.

A total of 1,033 units of pressure cookers that failed to meet mandatory standards were sold by Cloudtail through Amazon’s e-commerce platform following notification from the QCO.

In the injunction, CCPA ordered Cloudtail to recall the 1,033 pressure cookers it sold and refund the prices of the recalled pressure cookers to consumers.

Cloudtail has been instructed to submit a compliance report within 45 days.

CCPA noted that the violation of standards imposed by the QCOs not only endangers public safety, but could leave consumers vulnerable to serious injury, including loss of life.

“This is a critical cause for concern, especially in the case of a domestic pressure cooker, a household item that is present in most homes…,” the statement said.

CCPA has also issued safety notices to warn and warn consumers against purchasing goods that do not have a valid ISI mark and that violate mandatory BIS standards.

While the first safety notice was issued regarding helmets, pressure cookers and cooking gas cylinders, the second safety notice was issued regarding household items including electric immersion water heaters, sewing machines, microwave ovens, household LPG stoves etc.

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