The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued orders against the top five e-commerce platforms for selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips in the wake of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The clips compromise the life and safety of consumers by stopping alarm beeps when not wearing seat belts, an official press note said today.

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Headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, the CCPA passed orders against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, ShopClues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices.

The issue of the sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips was brought to the notice of CCPA by the Department of Consumer Affairs through a letter from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The letter highlighted the issue of the blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested for action on errant vendors/online platforms and issuance of an advisory. Further, Rule 138 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 makes it mandatory to wear seat belts.

However, online sales of such items that compromise passengers’ safety by stopping the alarm beep when not wearing seat belts can be unsafe and dangerous to the life and safety of consumers.

”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 press note said.

The CCPA, which is entrusted to protect, promote and enforce the rights of a class of consumers, took cognizance of the issue of the sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and found that the said clips were being blatantly sold on several e-commerce platforms in an easy-to-access manner resulting in direct violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and pose a high risk to the life of the consumers. It was also found during the proceedings that some sellers were selling the clips by camouflaging them under the garb of bottle openers or cigarette lighter etc.

Taking into consideration the severity of the said product on the safety and precious life of consumers, the CCPA referred the matter to the DG Investigation (CCPA). Based on the recommendation in the investigation report and submissions made by e-commerce entities, the CCPA issued directions to the e-commerce platforms where they were ordered to permanently delist all car seat belt alarm stopper clips and associated motor vehicle components which compromise the safety of passengers and the public. They were also directed to apprise the CCPA of the steps taken against errant sellers of such products and submit details of the sellers along with a compliance report on the directions.

Taking note of the Directions issued by the CCPA, compliance reports were submitted by all five e-commerce entities. Based on the initiative of the CCPA, 13,118 listings of car seat belt alarm stopper clips have been delisted from the e-commerce platforms.