Consumer forum orders Levi’s to pay ₹32,000 to customer for defective jeans

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Nainital in Uttarakhand recently ordered Levi Strauss India Pvt. Ltd. to pay ₹32,799 as compensation to a woman who was sold a defective pair of jeans that led to color bleeding, damage to her bag and skin irritation [Ms. Srishti Yadav vs. Levi Strauss India Pvt. Ltd.].The bench comprising of President Ramesh Kumar Jaiswal and members Vijayalakshmi Thapa and Laxman Singh Rawat observed that Levi Strauss India Pvt. Ltd. (respondent) failed to warn customers about potential dye transfer issues and directed the company to compensate the complainant for financial loss and mental agony.The Commission added that an international brand like Levi's ignoring the issue of color bleeding was against consumer interests."It should not be considered fair and in the interest of consumers to ignore the incident of color coming off by the jeans in question, sold to the complainant by Opposite Party number-1, which is a leading and internationally renowned brand in the field of readymade garments and apparels, by considering it as normal and natural..... apart from this, we can also believe that the complainant has undoubtedly suffered mental agony due to the conduct of the Opposite party in the case in question and she was forced to file the present complaint against the Opposite Party," the Commission held..The complainant, Srishti Yadav, purchased a pair of jeans from a store of Levi's at Haldwani in July 2022. The jeans was priced at ₹2,299. The jeans, from the brand’s Deepika Padukone Collection, were marketed as a high-quality product. However, upon wearing them for the first time in September 2022, Yadav noticed that the dye from the jeans transferred onto her Michael Kors bag and her skin, causing irritation.Despite multiple complaints, Levi's failed to offer a satisfactory resolution. The jeans were sent for quality testing in Bangalore, where the company claimed it passed all standard checks. Dissatisfied, the Yadav approached the Consumer Commission seeking compensation for the damaged bag, medical treatment and mental distress..The Commission noted that Levi's admitted to selling the jeans and that the company had itself acknowledged that certain rinse-washed designs could lead to color bleeding. The Commission found that the company attempted to justify the defect by citing a disclaimer tag, which was not proven to have been attached to the jeans at the time of sale. Further, Levi's had initially offered to replace the jeans, implicitly confirming the allegations in the complaint, the Commission noted..Accordingly, it directed Levi's to refund ₹2,299 to Yadav upon the return of the defective jeans and pay ₹15,500, equivalent to 50% of the bag’s market value, as compensation for the damage caused.Moreover, the company was ordered to award ₹10,000 for the mental agony suffered by Yadav and reimburse ₹5,000 towards litigation expenses.The Commission clarified that if the company fails to comply with the order in 45 days, it will be liable to pay 8% simple interest per annum on the refund amount from the date the complaint was filed..Advocates Ayush Agarwa and Harendra Bisht appeared for the complainant while advocate Kabir Krishna appeared for Levi's..[Read Order]