Online Seller Not Refunding Your Money? Complaint Ladder from Platform to Consumer Court
When an online seller or marketplace refuses a due refund: exhaust the platform's grievance officer (the E-Commerce Rules give them 48 hours to acknowledge, one month to resolve), call the National Consumer Helpline 1915, then file on e-Daakhil — free for claims up to ₹5 lakh, from your own city. Card/UPI chargebacks through your bank run in parallel.
कायदेशीर मुदती
- 48 hrs / 1 month — Platform grievance officer (acknowledge / resolve (E-Commerce Rules))
- ASAP — Bank chargeback window (dispute the card/UPI payment early)
- Weeks — 1915 / NCH mediation (free convergence process)
- 2 years — e-Daakhil complaint (from the cause of action)
पायरी-पायरीने: काय करावं
- 1
Build the refund record
Order, payment, defect/non-delivery proof, and the policy.
तपशील पहा
Save the order confirmation, payment proof, delivery status, photos/video of the defective or wrong item (an unboxing video is gold), chat/call records, and — critically — a screenshot of the refund/return policy as it stood at purchase. Under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, sellers cannot refuse to take back defective/deficient goods or refuse refunds where amounts were charged for undelivered services.
- 2
Force the platform's grievance machinery
Named grievance officers with statutory clocks exist — use them.
तपशील पहा
Every marketplace must publish a grievance officer who acknowledges within 48 hours and resolves within one month. Write formally (not just app tickets), cite the order and rule, and demand the refund with a deadline. Escalate simultaneously to the National Consumer Helpline — 1915 / consumerhelpline.gov.in — its convergence process gets responses from partnered companies within weeks, free.
- 3
Chargeback: the parallel money lever
Your bank can reverse card/UPI payments for non-delivery.
तपशील पहा
आम्ही हे तुमच्यासाठी करतो — ₹999Dispute the transaction with your card issuer/bank citing goods not delivered / not as described — card-network chargeback rules give real reversal rights within tight windows (typically 60–120 days from transaction), and RBI's UPI dispute framework covers failed/fraudulent debits. Attach your grievance trail. A successful chargeback often ends the matter before any court step.
- 4
e-Daakhil from your own city
No fee up to ₹5 lakh; platform + seller both as parties.
तपशील पहा
If the refund still hasn't come: a ₹999 advocate's notice to the platform and seller (registered offices), then file on e-Daakhil naming both the marketplace and the seller — filing where you reside or work. Claim the refund with interest, compensation for harassment, and costs. See the full process in our consumer forum guide; small-value cases are genuinely viable at zero court fee.
खर्च आणि काय अपेक्षित
- Free
Platform grievance + 1915
Statutory machinery; keep everything written
- Free
Bank chargeback
Dispute early — windows are 60–120 days
- ₹999
Advocate's legal notice
WakilBhai; to platform + seller
- ₹0 up to ₹5L
e-Daakhil filing
Slab fees above; no lawyer mandatory
COD orders lack the chargeback lever — prefer prepaid via credit card for expensive online purchases precisely because the dispute rights are stronger.
या अडचणीसाठी मोफत नमुने
वारंवार विचारले जाणारे प्रश्न
The platform says "seller's responsibility, not ours". Is that right?
No. The E-Commerce Rules make marketplaces responsible for grievance redressal and for not allowing unfair practices on their platform, and consumer commissions routinely hold platform and seller jointly liable. Name both — the platform has the deeper pocket and the compliance pressure.
How long do I have to file the consumer complaint?
Two years from the cause of action (the refusal/deficiency). But act in days, not months: platform clocks (48 hours/1 month), chargeback windows (60–120 days) and evidence freshness all favour early movers.
My order was "delivered" but never arrived. Who bears that?
The seller/platform must prove delivery to you — a courier scan is not gospel. Dispute in writing immediately, demand the POD (proof of delivery with signature/OTP), file the chargeback for non-delivery, and escalate. Commissions treat fake-delivery cases as deficiency plus unfair trade practice.
The seller offers only a coupon/wallet credit instead of a refund. Must I accept?
No — where a refund is due (defective goods, non-delivery, cancellation per policy), you can insist on money to the original payment source. Wallet-credit-only terms for such cases sit poorly with the rules and are regularly overridden in commission orders.
Is a ₹2,000 dispute worth pursuing?
Yes — the ladder up to e-Daakhil costs nothing but time: grievance officer, 1915, chargeback are all free, and filing itself has no fee at this value. Sellers know small claimants rarely persist; the ones who do usually get paid at the notice or helpline stage.
संबंधित मार्गदर्शक
ग्राहक मंच तक्रार कशी दाखल करावी — e-Daakhil, फी आणि प्रक्रिया
ग्राहक तक्रार दाखल करण्यासाठी, आधी विक्रेत्याला उपाय मागणारी लेखी तक्रार किंवा कायदेशीर नोटीस पाठवा.
Scammed Online? Where to Complain — Fake Shopping, Job and Investment Frauds
For any online scam — fake shopping site, work-from-home job fraud, or an investment/trading app that vanished — repo…
हे पृष्ठ फक्त सर्वसामान्य माहितीसाठी नेहमीची कायदेशीर प्रक्रिया समजावतं. हा कायदेशीर सल्ला नाही. तुमच्या परिस्थितीसाठी पात्र वकिलाचा सल्ला घ्या.