Amazon, Flipkart face heat from govt for selling car seat belt alarm stopper

Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued orders against the top five e-commerce platforms including Flipkart and Amazon for selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips. The regulator says that because these clips compromise the life and safety of consumers by stopping the alarm beep when not wearing seat belts, it violates Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Orders have been passed against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, ShopClues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices. This sale was pointed out by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) which demanded the issuance of an advisory.

Amazon has delisted 8,095 such clips, Flipkart delisted 4,000-5,000, Meesho 21 and Snapdeal and ShopClues delisted one each.

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As per the official statement by CCPA, “It is imperative to say that using car seat belt alarm stopper clips can also be a hurdle for consumers seeking claim amounts in the cases of motor insurance policies, wherein an insurance company may deny the claim by citing the negligence of the claimant for using such clips. On the other hand, using a seat belt acts as a restraint that allows the airbag to provide proper cushion and not hit the passengers at full force which also works as a protective shield in case of collisions.”

The Consumer Affairs Ministry also added that some sellers were selling the clips by camouflaging them under the garb of bottle openers or cigarette lighter and so on.

CCPA has directed these e-commerce platforms to permanently delist all car seat belt alarm stopper clips and associated motor vehicle components that compromise the safety of passengers and the public. In addition to this, the regulator has also asked the platforms to apprise CCPA of the steps taken against errant sellers of such products and submit details of the sellers along with a compliance report.

The regulator has further instructed the e-commerce entities, industry associations and voluntary consumer bodies to ensure such products are not manufactured and sold in the market.

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