Central Consumer Protection Authority Takes Action Against Amazon for Misleading Sale of Sweets

New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), led by Chief Commissioner Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, has initiated action against Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. regarding the sale of sweets on www.amazon.in under the name ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.’

This move follows a representation made by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), alleging deceptive trade practices by Amazon in the sale of sweets under the banner of ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.’

Upon examining the representation, it was noted that various sweets and food products are available for sale on Amazon’s e-commerce platform (www.amazon.in), marketed as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”

Enabling the sale of food products online with false representations misleads consumers about the true characteristics of the product. Such practices can lead consumers to make purchase decisions based on inaccurate information about the product.

It’s important to highlight that under Rule 4(3) of the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules, 2020, no e-commerce entity is permitted to adopt any unfair trade practice, whether in the course of business on its platform or otherwise.

Furthermore, according to the definition of ‘Misleading advertisement’ under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, it includes any advertisement that falsely describes a product or service or provides a false guarantee, likely to mislead consumers about the nature, substance, quantity, or quality of the product or service.

The CCPA has requested a response from Amazon within 7 days of the notice’s issuance. Failure to provide a satisfactory response may result in necessary action being taken against Amazon under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.