User:Louis/Sony India PS5 warranty dispute over Swiggy Instamart purchase

According to reports by Digit, an Indian technology news site, & IGN India, a video-game news site, Sony "reportedly refused" warranty coverage for a brand-new PlayStation 5 (PS5) console bought at full price through Swiggy Instamart,^[1] saying the seller was not authorised by Sony India.^[2] Digit reported that the buyer says he paid the full price of 70,000 Indian rupees & "claims Sony later confirmed in writing" that the console would not qualify for warranty service,^[1] & News18, an Indian news site, reported that, according to the buyer, the support team of Instamart, a quick-commerce platform where users order "grocery and household items" for delivery "to their doorstep",^[1][3] asked him to contact the brand.^[4]

Sony India's warranty page says its "nontransferable warranty is only for the first end user on purchase from Sony Authorised Dealer",^[5] & its dealer page says "Sony Products are available online through our authorized partners / sellers",^[6] while the one-year guarantee that Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited (SIEE) gives for PlayStation consoles it has put on the market in India is valid if proof of purchase showing "the date of purchase and retailer’s name", not altered or defaced, is presented with the console within that year.^[7] Instamart's terms make the merchant, the seller whose products are "listed and offered for sale" on the platform, "solely responsible for any warranty/guarantee",^[8] & IGN India reported that the buyer has filed a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH),^[2] the Indian government's pre-litigation grievance service,^[9][10] & in an update dated October 6, 2026 that he had posted on Reddit that he had "received a full refund for the PS5 from Swiggy Instamart".^[2]

Digit reported on October 2, 2026 that Sony has "reportedly refused to provide warranty support" for a brand-new PlayStation 5 (PS5) 1TB Slim console bought through Swiggy Instamart, which Digit calls "the quick-commerce platform".^[1] Digit reported that, in his Reddit post, the buyer says the PS5 was purchased at the full maximum retail price (MRP) of 70,000 Indian rupees (Rs 70,000),^[1] and that the console was sealed, the invoice was present and the warranty card had a matching serial number.^[1] According to News18, the buyer says he paid for the console on September 27 and that it arrived sealed and works fine.^[4]

Sportskeeda, a sports and gaming news site, in an article it labelled "based on unofficial information and user reports", reported on October 1, 2026 that the buyer "claims Sony refused warranty coverage", "citing the seller's unauthorised status".^[11] According to the buyer, Digit reported, Sony asked for the invoice, the console's serial number and the warranty card, then told him that the seller listed on the invoice was not an authorised Sony India dealer.^[1]

News18, describing the buyer's account, reported that he received a written reply from Sony India saying that Swiggy Instamart, with PYD Retail Pvt Ltd (Avantika) named as the seller on the invoice, was not an authorised dealer, that the console, in News18's words, "cannot be registered for now", and that a warranty claim on the warranty card and original invoice was possible only if the dealer was authorised by Sony India.^[4] IGN India said that when the buyer tried to register the console, which it described as "worth ₹70,000", Sony "reportedly refused to provide warranty coverage", stating that the seller, PYD Retail Pvt Ltd - Avantika, was not authorised by Sony India for the warranty to be valid.^[2] PlayStationInfo, a German-language site, reported that the invoice names neither Sony nor Swiggy as the seller but "PYD Retail Pvt Ltd beziehungsweise Avantika", German for PYD Retail Pvt Ltd or Avantika.^[12]

The buyer says Instamart support replied more than six times with apologies, asked him to contact the brand and did not take responsibility, News18 reported.^[4] According to Digit, he also said there was no clear warning before purchase that the seller's authorisation status could affect the console's warranty coverage.^[1]

Digit, News18 and IGN India each reported that the buyer has filed a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).^[1][4][2] The NCH is the "grievance redressal mechanism of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India",^[9] after which a consumer who is not satisfied "can approach the appropriate Consumer Commission".^[10]

PlayStationInfo noted that, with the console working by its owner's account, there is currently "keinen konkreten Reparaturfall, den Sony abgelehnt hätte", German for no concrete repair case that Sony has refused.^[12] News18 wrote that the Reddit post "is one buyer's account" that "does not show that every PS5 sold on Swiggy Instamart is excluded from warranty", and that at the time of writing it "could not find a public response from Sony India or Swiggy".^[4]

In an update dated October 6, 2026, IGN India reported:

The user has updated on Reddit that they have received a full refund for the PS5 from Swiggy Instamart after their post went viral and attracted significant pressure on social media.

^[2]

The newspaper Business Standard reported on April 5, 2024 that Blinkit, a "quick commerce platform", had partnered with Sony to sell the PS5 Slim gaming console, which was launching in India on April 5, & that, according to a Blinkit press note, customers in Delhi NCR (the National Capital Region of Delhi),^[13] Mumbai and Bengaluru could get the consoles delivered in 10 minutes.^[14] Swiggy, an Indian food and grocery delivery company, describes Instamart in its November 2024 prospectus as the part of its platform where users order and pay for "grocery and household items" and have their orders "delivered to their doorstep through on-demand delivery network".^[3]

ShopAtSC, an online portal owned and managed by Binary Web Solutions (I) Private Limited, says all sales on its site "are made by the Sony Centres" and describes Sony Center stores as "third-party brick and mortar retail partners of Sony India Private Limited" that sell Sony products exclusively.^[15] As of October 6, 2026, it lists a slim PS5 console of the CFI-2000 model group at Rs 69,990, its MRP "incl. of all taxes".^[16]

Sony India's "Warranty & Service Charges Information" page, last modified on August 29, 2026, lists a one-year standard warranty for "PlayStation®".^[5] The warrantor it names is Sony India Pvt. Ltd., which "warranties the product to be free from manufacturing defects" for the period shown under "Valid Up to" on the product information page.^[5] The page calls the warranty "nontransferable" & says it "is only for the first end user on purchase from Sony Authorised Dealer".^[5]

Sony India's page ties warranty service to two documents:

Warranty will be valid only when this Warranty Card and original Purchase Invoice are presented together for service. Sony reserves the right to decline warranty service, if the above documents are not presented or if the information contained is incomplete or the Warranty Card is found tampered.

^[5]

The page says the warranty "will be void" if factory-applied serial number labels "have been altered, removed or defaced" or if the product is "purchased under seconds resale" by a customer or dealer "through e-commerce sellers or any other on-line portal or any off-line dealer or distributor".^[5]

The page also says the warranty "shall not affect consumer's statutory rights under applicable Indian Laws", nor the consumer's rights against the dealer "arising from their sales / purchase of the product".^[5] In its answer to a question about a Sony product bought overseas, the page says "Sony India issues warranty ONLY on products marketed by Sony India" & recommends buying "at Sony Authorised Dealer in India".^[5]

A separate Sony India support article calls product registration "optional but recommended" & says online registration "does not affect the standard warranty".^[17] It tells owners to keep their proof of purchase & warranty card "(if provided)", as "they are required for warranty validation".^[17]

Sony India's dealer-locator page says "Sony warranties only when the products are purchased from authorized reseller" & that buying from "out-of-network points may pose challenges to customers".^[6] It warns that a Sony product "purchased from an unauthorized Sony reseller may not be eligible" for the benefits the page lists, "including manufacturer’s 1 year limited warranty".^[6] Under the heading "Sony Authorized Online Stores", it names two "Authorised Partners" for Amazon, Clicktech Retail Private Ltd & Dawntech Electronics, & seven for Flipkart, among them RetailNet & SuperComNet.^[6]

Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited (SIEE), of 10 Great Marlborough Street, London, issues its own guarantee for PlayStation consoles.^[7] SIEE "operates www.playstation.com" & "distributes PlayStation hardware", according to PlayStation's "About SIE" legal page, which addresses users in India among other regions.^[18]

The guarantee is given to "the first user of the Product", is "personal to you" & "cannot be used by anyone else".^[7] SIEE undertakes to repair or, at its option, replace faulty components free of charge "for a period of 1 (one) year from the date of original purchase", where the fault is "due to defective materials or workmanship".^[7] It defines "Product" as the console & any official PlayStation® peripherals "supplied in the box with your PlayStation® console".^[7] Clause 2 of the guarantee's terms sets out where it is valid:

Where SIEE has put this Product on the market in Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, this Guarantee is valid in all those countries provided the original sales receipt or invoice or other proof of purchase indicating the date of purchase and retailer’s name, which has not been altered or defaced since the date of original purchase, is presented together with the Product within the Guarantee period

^[7]

The guarantee is "in addition to your statutory consumer rights (under applicable law)" and "does not affect them in any way".^[7] Clause 3 lets SIEE reject a claim where an official seal or the serial number "has been damaged, altered, defaced or removed", where there is evidence of an attempt to disassemble the Product "unless authorised in the manual", or where there is evidence of an attempt to open its casing & SIEE determines "in its reasonable discretion" that an act or omission "has caused damage to the Product".^[7] Clause 12 bars a claim by an owner "in material breach" of the system software licence.^[7]

Instamart's terms of use say the platform "is owned and operated by Swiggy Instamart Private Limited".^[8] They call the business that sells the goods to the buyer the "Merchant", & say Instamart "is merely acting as an intermediary between the Merchant and the Buyers", with the sale taking place on the Instamart Platform, "which is entirely different from, and outside of Swiggy Limited's platform".^[8]

The commercial terms of each sale, which include "warranties related to products and services (if any)" & after-sales services, are "agreed to between Buyers and Merchants alone".^[8] Buyers are "advised to independently verify the bona fides of any particular Merchant".^[8] The warranty clause reads:

The Merchant shall be solely responsible for any warranty/guarantee of the products or services sold to the Buyers and in no event shall be the responsibility of Instamart.

^[8]

Instamart describes itself as "only operating an online marketplace" that "assumes the role of facilitator", & says it does not at any point during a transaction take ownership of the products a merchant offers.^[8] Its complaints clause reads:

In case of complaints from the Buyer pertaining to efficacy, quality, or any other such issues, Instamart shall notify the same to Merchant and may also redirect the Buyer to the consumer call center of the Merchant. The Merchant shall be liable for redressing Buyer complaints.

^[8]

For a complaint about a merchant, the terms promise to "assist you to the best of our abilities" with information "such as details of the Merchant and the specific Order to which the complaint relates".^[8]

Swiggy Limited's own terms say the Instamart platforms are "operated solely by an independent and distinct entity", Swiggy Instamart Private Limited, & that "Swiggy is not acting as a ‘marketplace’" for products sold on them.^[19] Swiggy says it has "no control whatsoever over the Instamart Platforms" & no responsibility for products sold through them or for "any customer care support you may receive in respect of such products".^[19] For complaints about those products, Swiggy "merely acts as a communication link", with resolution "handled exclusively by Instamart".^[19]

Swiggy Limited's prospectus dated November 8, 2024 describes Instamart's dark stores as "micro-logistics facilities, which stock and manage a variety of SKUs owned by the merchant partners"; it defines SKUs as "Stock-keeping units".^[3] Swiggy provides "inventory space within these Dark Stores to merchant partners where they can stock their SKUs", & Swiggy lists their products on its platform & offers them fulfilment services.^[3] The prospectus says the merchant partners are typically retailers "engaged in the business of selling grocery, fast moving consumer goods and household items".^[3] Swiggy offers them "business enabling services such as after-sales service, reverse-logistics for returns".^[3]

The prospectus says Swiggy is "not liable for defects or issues in the food and products supplied by our partners" but helps with "the resolution of complaints raised by users with our partners".^[3] It also says: "We currently do not have a returns policy."^[3] It adds that users can use the platform "to seek refunds and replacements of defective or incorrect products" sold by its partner network.^[3] Swiggy's quick-commerce revenue includes "pre-agreed commissions from merchant partners", & in 2024 it planned to add categories "such as beauty and grooming, pet supplies, baby care, electronics and wearable devices, among others".^[3]

Tofler, a company-data website, lists P Y D Retail Private Limited as an unlisted private company incorporated on October 6, 2021, with Corporate Identification Number (CIN) U52609HR2021PTC098246 & a registered address in Gurgaon, Haryana.^[20] The profile, updated on August 31, 2026, gives the company's status as "Active", lists its industry as "Retail Trading, Miscellaneous consumer goods n.e.c." & gives its operating revenue range as "INR 100 cr - 500 cr" (in crores of rupees) for the financial year ending on March 31, 2024.^[20]

The Indian Express, a newspaper, reported on December 24, 2025 that at Instamart's first offline store in Gurgaon, an in-charge pointed to a board bearing the name of PYD Retail Private Limited, which the paper described as "a retail solutions and supply chain logistics company" that "supports several Instamarts across the National Capital Region".^[21] The paper reported that the outlet is attached to a dark store that doubles as its inventory, & that Swiggy & PYD Retail had yet to respond to calls & messages seeking comment.^[21] The startup news site Inc42 reported on December 22, 2025 that Swiggy's offline Instamart store in Gurugram "is seller-owned and seller-operated, in line with its darkstore model", & that Instamart does not own it.^[22]

In a disclosure to BSE Limited, the stock exchange, dated June 30, 2023, the staffing firm ITCONS E-Solutions Limited listed P Y D Retail Private Limited among 21 companies with which it had signed agreements for "General Staffing/Pay rolling Services for PAN India to SWIGGY Instamart" over 36 months.^[23]

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (Act No. 35 of 2019), dated August 9, 2019, provides "for protection of the interests of consumers" & establishes authorities for the "timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers' disputes".^[13] It came into force on July 20, 2020.^[24] Under section 2(7), a consumer is a person who buys goods for a consideration, other than one who obtains them for resale "or for any commercial purpose", & its explanation says that buying goods "includes offline or online transactions through electronic means".^[13]

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 were made under section 101(1)(zg) of the Act on July 23, 2020^[25] & took effect from that date.^[24] Save as the Central Government expressly provides otherwise by notification, rule 2 applies them to "all models of e-commerce, including marketplace and inventory models of e-commerce".^[25] Rule 3(1)(g) defines a marketplace e-commerce entity as one that provides "an information technology platform on a digital or electronic network" in order "to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers"; rule 3(1)(f) defines an inventory e-commerce entity as one that "owns the inventory of goods or services" & "sells such goods or services directly to the consumers".^[25] Under rule 3(1)(b), a seller offering its goods on a marketplace is not itself an e-commerce entity, & rule 3(1)(k) makes "seller" mean the product seller defined in section 2(37) of the Act.^[25] Rule 8 says the Act's provisions "shall apply for any violation of the provisions of these rules".^[25]

In an April 2021 column for Bar & Bench, a legal news site, Akriti Chaubey wrote that the law on the liability of online marketplaces "is not crystal clear", as "conflicting orders have been passed by different State Commissions".^[26]

The online stores & partners that Sony India's dealer locator lists do not include the platform or the seller in this dispute.^[6]

Sony India pleaded its authorised-dealer condition in Consumer Case No. 696 of 2021, a complaint over a Sony OLED television before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission - I, Hyderabad.^[27] A District Commission is the consumer forum the State Government establishes in each district of the State.^[13] Sony India's written version, the reply it filed after receiving notice of the complaint, said that "in-warranty services are only applicable" where the product was bought from the authorised dealer, & that the television "was purchased from the unauthorized dealer".^[27] It filed its "India Domestic Service Warranty" (Ex B2) to show that "the warranty is only for the first end user on purchase from Sony Authorized Dealer"; the exhibit list describes Ex.B2 as a copy of a standard warranty dated March 14, 2016.^[27]

The commission dismissed the complaint on December 7, 2022 because the complainant, after filing it, "did not appear to prove her case".^[27]

LiveLaw, a legal news site, reported on September 4, 2026 that the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Haridwar held a dealer, Maira Enterprises, liable for deficiency in service, which the Act defines as a fault or shortcoming in the performance of a service, for selling a Samsung phone whose warranty had been activated before the date of purchase without telling the buyer.^[28][29][13] The commission found no evidence of deficiency by Samsung India &, in LiveLaw's words, "held that the manufacturer could not be held liable merely for the dealer's acts".^[28][29]

A State Commission hears, among other matters, "appeals against the orders of any District Commission within the State".^[13] In 2007 the State Commission, Delhi dismissed an appeal by Samsung India Electronics Ltd against an order "To repair the set of the complainant in all respect".^[30] Samsung had argued that the handset was "neither manufactured by the appellant nor imported by the appellant for sale in India" & had been bought "from the grey market".^[30] The commission held:

In our view none of the aforesaid contentions hold water. The layman and the poor consumer has to go by the name of the manufacturer embossed on the set.

^[30]

Once a handset's manufacture by a company is established, the order added, it is "immaterial whether set was meant for India or for China"; the case was decided under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.^[30]

In 2023 the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Punjab dismissed an appeal by Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited, which had called the online seller "an unauthorized seller".^[31] Treating it as "an admitted fact" that Xiaomi markets, sells & services the phones in India, the commission held Xiaomi responsible for "any deficiency in service of such mobile phones in India committed by a third party", on a phone sold "through e-commerce platform".^[31] The order records that the phone's MRP "was mentioned as Rs.9,999/-" & that the complainant "was charged Rs.11,999/- as per invoice", & the complaint was about that overcharge.^[31] In July 2026 a State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, hearing an appeal from the District Commission in Gwalior, left in place directions against Lava International Limited, which had pleaded that the buyer was not its consumer because the handset came "from an unauthorized retail vendor rather than an authorized dealer".^[32] Lava had not appealed those directions, & the commission found that the District Commission "has not committed any irregularity by giving such directions" without ruling on the plea.^[32]

On December 1, 2025 the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, U.T. Chandigarh dismissed an appeal by Sony India Pvt. Ltd. & others over a Sony PlayStation 5 bought on February 10, 2023 "for a sum of Rs.64,650/-", treating the console's own error messages as "system-recorded, simultaneous electronic evidence".^[33] It held:

Such conduct reflects a failure to honour warranty obligations, which every manufacturer and service provider is legally bound to discharge.

^[33]

The order names the seller, M/s Goel Bros., without saying whether it was an authorised dealer.^[33]

Section 2(10) of the Act defines a defect as "any fault, imperfection or shortcoming in the quality, quantity, potency, purity or standard" required by law, "under any contract, express or implied" or "as is claimed by the trader in any manner whatsoever".^[13] Section 2(11) defines a deficiency, for a service, as "any fault, imperfection, shortcoming or inadequacy in the quality, nature and manner of performance" that the law requires or that has been "undertaken to be performed by a person in pursuance of a contract or otherwise"; it includes "deliberate withholding of relevant information by such person to the consumer".^[13] Section 2(47) defines an unfair trade practice as a trade practice that, "for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply of any goods", adopts "any unfair method or unfair or deceptive practice".^[13] Its clause (i)(h) covers a representation to the public that purports to be a warranty or guarantee, "if such purported warranty or guarantee or promise is materially misleading" or if there is "no reasonable prospect that such warranty, guarantee or promise will be carried out"; clause (i)(g) covers a warranty of performance "not based on an adequate or proper test".^[13]

Section 2(46) defines an unfair contract as one between a manufacturer, trader or service provider & a consumer with terms "which cause significant change in the rights of such consumer", including, at clause (vi), terms imposing "any unreasonable charge, obligation or condition which puts such consumer to disadvantage".^[13]

Under section 84(1)(d), a product manufacturer is liable "in a product liability action" if "the product does not conform to the express warranty", & section 2(34) defines product liability as the responsibility to compensate "for any harm caused to a consumer by such defective product".^[13] Section 2(36) counts as a product manufacturer a person who "puts or causes to be put his own mark" on products "made by any other person".^[13]

Neither Sony India's decline clause nor its list of grounds on which the warranty "will be void" names the seller's authorisation status.^[5] SIEE's guarantee sets no condition on who sold the console: none of its grounds for rejecting a claim in clauses 3, 11 & 12 concerns the seller.^[7]

None of these orders, including the Hyderabad case in which Sony India pleaded its authorised-dealer condition, decides whether a manufacturer may refuse warranty service on a genuine console sold in India because the retailer is outside its dealer network.^{[27][30][28][29][31][32][33]} If, as Digit reports the buyer's account, the console came sealed with an invoice & a warranty card with a matching serial number,^[1] then the documents Sony India's decline clause asks for are present, & an invoice that names the retailer & shows the date of purchase, "has not been altered or defaced since the date of original purchase" & is presented with the console within the year would meet SIEE's proof-of-purchase requirement, but Sony India's warranty page still carries the authorised-dealer term.^[5][7]

A refusal of a later repair on the seller's status alone would then be the kind of failure to honour warranty obligations that the Chandigarh commission held in the 2025 PlayStation 5 case to be "a clear deficiency in service",^[33] & the 2007 Delhi order under the 1986 Act, which rejected Samsung's contentions that the handset had been bought "from the grey market" with no warranty card, supports holding the brand named on the product responsible for repairing a defective unit.^[30] The Haridwar order held Samsung India not liable for a dealer's non-disclosure, whereas a refusal under Sony India's own warranty terms would be Sony India's own act.^[28][29][5]

The console works by the buyer's account, so no repair has been refused & there is no defect or harm on which to found a section 84 claim.^[4][12][13] If Sony India will not honour its warranty card for genuine units bought from sellers outside its network, the card is open to challenge under section 2(47)(i)(h) as a warranty with no reasonable prospect of being carried out for those buyers, & the authorised-dealer term is open to challenge before a State Commission under section 2(46)(vi) as a condition that puts the buyer at a disadvantage.^[5][13]

Rule 4(3) says no e-commerce entity "shall adopt any unfair trade practice", "whether in the course of business on its platform or otherwise".^[25] Rule 5(3)(a) requires a marketplace e-commerce entity to display, "in a clear and accessible manner", details of the sellers on its platform, including the name of their business, their geographic address & customer care number, & any other information consumers need "to make informed decisions" before purchase.^[25] Rule 5(3)(c) adds "information relating to return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee", & rule 5(3)(ङ) adds "all information provided to it by sellers under sub-rule (5) of rule 6", which under rule 6(5)(i) includes "any relevant guarantees or warranties applicable to such goods or services".^[25] Rule 7(1)(a) requires an inventory e-commerce entity to display "accurate information related to return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee".^[25]

In a written answer on March 25, 2026 to Unstarred Question No. 5415 in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament, the Minister of State said that marketplaces "must prominently publish details of sellers" along with complete information on "return, refund, exchange, warranty, delivery, payment modes and grievance redressal mechanisms".^[34] Under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, announced on September 10, 2026, marketplace e-commerce entities will have to provide "key information", including warranty details, "to enable informed consumer decisions".^[35] Those rules "shall come into force from January 1, 2027".^[35]

As of October 6, 2026, Flipkart's listing for a 1 TB "PlayStation5 Console (slim)" names its seller, MPDSLERetail, & shows "1 Year Warranty" with a customer support number to call for warranty issues.^[36] On the same date, the PlayStation 5 listing of Zepto, a quick-commerce delivery app, names its seller, Drogheria Sellers Private Limited, gives Sony India Pvt. Ltd. as importer & shows a one-year "Brand Warranty".^[37] Neither listing says whether its seller is a Sony authorised dealer.^[36][37]

In 2017 the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission UT Chandigarh dismissed, at the preliminary stage, an appeal by Amazon Seller Services Private Limited, which had said it "merely provides an online marketplace".^[38] It rejected the contention that "as per terms and conditions of sale, no liability can be fastened upon the appellant", & held that an agent who sells a product "is duty bound to ensure its quality" & is "vicariously liable" for a defective product "alongwith the manufacturer of the product".^[38] In 2018 the Chhattisgarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission dismissed Amazon's appeal in a case where, by the complainant's account recorded in the order, he learned at the manufacturer's authorised service centre that Amazon had sold the handset "under special offer" & that the centre "cannot provide any help regarding the repairing of the mobile hand set".^[39] Amazon said it had "merely provided a technology platform (an online marketplace)"; the commission found that it "sold the mobile hand set to the complainant", in a case where the manufacturer, Micromax, "did not appear before the District Forum and even before this Commission".^[39]

In 2020 the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Haryana, Panchkula rejected Amazon's argument that it was "an intermediary as defined under the Information Technology Act", holding that it "can't be exonerated from its liability being facilitator and active participant in the deal".^[40]

On November 3, 2025 the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, U.T. Chandigarh rejected Swiggy's reply that it acted "solely as intermediaries enabling such listings and deliveries" in a complaint over an Instamart order of 1 kg of oranges that weighed 824 grams; the order lists Instamart as the second opposite party, one of the parties the complaint was filed against, with "Seller Name: (Kwickbox Retail Pvt Ltd)".^[41] The commission found that the tax invoice "unequivocally shows that the subject goods were sold by OP No.1", Swiggy, "which functions as an e-commerce entity", & cited Swiggy's duty under rule 4(10) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.^[41]

The Times of India reported on September 26, 2026 that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), the consumer watchdog, penalising Amazon, Flipkart & JioMart over an unregistered herbicide, rejected their argument that they could not be held responsible for third-party sellers' products, & said online marketplaces could not disown their statutory obligation to protect consumers & were required to exercise due diligence to prevent the sale of products that are illegal or hazardous.^[42] On the other side, Chaubey's 2021 column described a Chhattisgarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission order, which it did not name, that, it wrote, observed that Amazon was just a shopping platform & held that Amazon had been wrongly impleaded as a party in the complaint.^[26]

Instamart's terms cannot displace the Rules, which rule 8 brings under the Act, & the 2017 Chandigarh order rejected the same terms-of-sale defence from Amazon.^[25][38] If the invoice names PYD Retail as seller,^[4][12] Instamart was a marketplace e-commerce entity for this sale,^[25] & the 2025 Chandigarh order, which rested on an invoice showing Swiggy as seller, does not reach it directly.^[41] Instamart then answers for its own duties under rule 5(3): whether a seller sits inside or outside the brand's warranty network is information relating to warranty under rule 5(3)(c), & rules 5(3)(ङ) & 6(5)(i) require the platform to show the warranty terms the seller supplies.^[25]

By the buyer's account, as IGN India reported it, he was not informed before buying that the seller was not Sony-authorised or that this could affect the warranty; Digit reported his statement that there was "no clear warning before purchase".^[2][1] If Instamart's listing, unlike Flipkart's & Zepto's, showed neither the seller nor any warranty terms, that omission breaches rule 5(3); it is "deliberate withholding of relevant information" under section 2(11) only if the omission was deliberate.^{[36][37][25][13]}

The three Amazon orders, the 2025 Instamart order & the CCPA's reported position outweigh the one unnamed order Chaubey described, so Instamart's warranty clause would not keep it out of a consumer complaint.^{[8][38][39][40][41][42][26]}

The warranty in dispute is the one Sony India or SIEE gives.^[5][7] The buyer's account as reported does not have the seller claiming Sony authorisation or promising a warranty of its own.^[1][4][2]

Under rule 3(1)(k), a seller on a marketplace is the product seller defined in section 2(37) of the Act,^[25] a person who "in the course of business" sells or distributes a product "for commercial purpose".^[13] Rule 6(1) bars such a seller from adopting "any unfair trade practice", & rule 6(3) bars it from refusing "to take back goods" or to refund the price if the goods are "defective, deficient or spurious" or are "not of the characteristics or features as advertised or as agreed to".^[25]

Section 2(47)(viii) makes it an unfair trade practice to refuse, after selling goods, to take back "defective goods" & refund the price within the period stipulated in the bill or, if none is stipulated, "within a period of thirty days".^[13] Section 2(47)(i)(e) covers a statement that represents that the seller has "a sponsorship or approval or affiliation which such seller or supplier does not have".^[13] Under section 86, a product seller that is not the manufacturer is liable in a product liability action if, among other grounds, it made "an express warranty of a product independent of any express warranty made by a manufacturer" & the product "failed to conform to the express warranty made by the product seller", a failure "which caused the harm".^[13] Clause (e) of the same section also makes it liable where:

he did not pass on the warnings or instructions of the product manufacturer regarding the dangers involved or proper usage of the product while selling such product and such failure was the proximate cause of the harm.

^[13]

If PYD Retail is the seller on the invoice, it carries the seller's duties under rule 6 & is the dealer against whom Sony India's own terms preserve the buyer's rights.^[4][25][5] The refund duty in section 2(47)(viii) attaches to "defective goods", & the one in rule 6(3) also to goods "not of the characteristics or features as advertised or as agreed to"; since the console works by the buyer's account, any refund claim against the seller turns on whether the console was advertised or agreed to carry Sony India's warranty.^[25][13][4] If the console later develops a fault & the warranty is refused, the rule 6(3) duty applies to it as defective goods.^[25] If the seller knew that its PlayStation stock fell outside Sony India's warranty & did not say so, that omission is open to challenge as a deficiency in service under section 2(11), & if it presented itself as Sony-authorised, section 2(47)(i)(e) applies.^[5][13]

Rule 5(3)(a) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 requires a marketplace e-commerce entity, "on a request in writing made by a consumer after the purchase", to give that consumer information about the seller.^[25] That information includes "the principal geographic address of its headquarters and all branches", the seller's website & email address, & any other information "necessary for communication with the seller for effective dispute resolution".^[25] Rule 5(3)(b) adds "a ticket number for each complaint lodged", through which the consumer can track the complaint's status.^[25]

Under rule 4(4), every e-commerce entity must appoint a grievance officer "for consumer grievance redressal" & display that officer's "name, contact details, and designation" on its platform.^[25] Rule 4(5) requires every e-commerce entity to ensure that its grievance officer acknowledges a complaint "within forty-eight hours" & redresses it "within one month from the date of receipt of the complaint".^[25] Rule 6(4)(b) puts the same duty on a seller offering goods through a marketplace: it must appoint its own grievance officer, who acknowledges within 48 hours & redresses within one month.^[25]

Instamart's terms list a "Grievance Officer/Nodal Officer" under the Information Technology Act, 2000 & the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020, at Swiggy Limited's registered office in Bengaluru, with the email support@Swiggy.in & the hours "Monday – Friday (9:00 – 18:00)".^[8]

On September 10, 2026, the Department of Consumer Affairs announced amendment rules under which every e-commerce entity will have to give the complainant "a copy of the complaint as recorded by its grievance officer".^[35]

Sony India's warranty page tells owners whose product needs service to "Call us at 080 6500 6500 and Select option 2 on IVR", gives the Customer Care Centre's working hours as "All 7 Days (9am to 7:30pm)" & lists the email sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com.^[5]

SIEE's guarantee lists 1800-103-7799 & sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com as its India helpline contacts.^[7] PlayStation's India "About SIE" legal page, which says SIEE "distributes PlayStation hardware", lists the email sonyindia.care@sony.com.^[18]

The National Consumer Helpline describes its portal as "an alternate dispute redressal mechanism at pre-litigation level", a complaint step that comes before any case in a consumer commission.^[10] A grievance can be registered in these ways:

• by calling the toll-free number 1915 or 1800-11-4000 & talking to an agent, with the page header giving 1915's hours as "8AM to 8PM";^[10]
• by registering once on the portal, which issues a user ID & password, & lodging the grievance there with any necessary documents attached;^[10]
• by WhatsApp to 8800001915;^[10]
• by SMS to 8800001915;^[10]
• through the NCH App.^[10]

NCH's convergence page adds that grievances can be registered "in 17 languages".^[9] NCH sends each grievance "to the concerned company / agency / regulator / ombudsman" & says the process "may take up to a maximum of 30 days to arrive at a logical conclusion".^[10] Convergence partners are companies that join NCH's Convergence initiative "on a voluntary and free-of-charge basis to resolve customer grievances quickly and amicably".^[9] For them, "Grievances are forwarded in real time, and responses are expected within 30 days."^[9]

NCH's partner list includes the brand "SONY", with the legal name "Sony India Pvt. Ltd.", & the brand "Swiggy", with the legal name "BUNDL Technologies Private Limited".^[43]

Rule 4(7) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 says every e-commerce entity "shall endeavour on a best effort basis" to become a partner in the convergence process.^[25] Under the amendment rules announced on September 10, 2026, every e-commerce entity will have to become a partner in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline.^[35]

The Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District Commission, the State Commission and the National Commission) Rules, 2021, dated December 30, 2021, let the District Commission, subject to the Act's other provisions, hear complaints where the value paid "does not exceed fifty lakh rupees" (rule 3).^[44] Complaints "against unfair contracts" go to the State Commission where the value paid "does not exceed ten crore rupees" (section 47) & to the National Commission above that (section 58).^[13]

Section 34(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 requires a complaint to be filed with a District Commission whose local limits cover a place where any one of these applies:^[13]

• the opposite party (the party "against whom the complaint has been filed"), or each of the opposite parties where there are more than one, at the time the complaint is filed, ordinarily "resides or carries on business or has a branch office or personally works for gain";^[13]
• any of several opposite parties, at the time the complaint is filed, "actually and voluntarily resides", carries on business, has a branch office or personally works for gain, "provided that in such case the permission of the District Commission is given";^[13]
• "the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises";^[13] or
• "the complainant resides or personally works for gain".^[13]

Commissions have issued orders against Amazon or Swiggy together with another party:

• in 2018 the Chhattisgarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held Amazon & Micromax "jointly or severally liable to refund" the price of a defective phone;^[39]
• in 2020 the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Haryana, held Amazon & Motorola Excellence Centre "jointly and severally liable to pay a sum of Rs.9,999/-";^[40]
• in 2025 the Chandigarh District Commission directed Swiggy & Instamart to comply with its order "jointly and severally within a period of 45 days".^[41]

Section 35(1) lets "the consumer" to whom the goods were sold file the complaint, & its proviso says the complaint "may be filed electronically in such manner as may be prescribed".^[13] e-Jagriti, the Department of Consumer Affairs' online system for consumer commission cases, was "Launched on 1 January 2025" & brought four older systems, including e-Daakhil, into one platform.^[45] On it, consumers can "file complaints online from anywhere in India or abroad", track the case & attend virtual hearings without travelling to a commission.^[45] The portal's home page sets out three steps:

1. register to create an account;^[46]
2. log in & create a profile;^[46]
3. file the complaint.^[46]

The Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) (Amendment) Rules, 2023, dated August 17, 2023, set the fee at "Nil" where the value paid is "Upto Rupees Five Lakh" & at Rs 200 above Rs 5 lakh up to Rs 10 lakh.^[47] e-Jagriti's fee table, under its "DISTRICT" tab, shows the same "Nil" row.^[46]

Regulation 3(4) of the Consumer Protection (Consumer Commission Procedure) Regulations, 2020 says the complainant & the opposite party "can appear in person or through agent or through counsel".^[48] Regulation 26(4) says the Consumer Commission "shall not insist upon the parties to engage advocates".^[48]

Under section 69(1), a commission shall not admit a complaint unless it is filed "within two years from the date on which the cause of action has arisen".^[13] Under section 69(2), a later complaint can still be heard if the complainant shows "sufficient cause" for the delay, & only if the commission records "its reasons for condoning such delay".^[13] Section 38(7) says the complaint is to be decided "as expeditiously as possible", & that the commission is to try to decide it within three months of the opposite party receiving notice, or within five months if the goods need analysis or testing.^[13]

Under section 37(1), at the first hearing after a complaint is admitted or at any later stage, if "it appears to the District Commission that there exists elements of a settlement" the parties may accept, the Commission may direct them to give written consent to mediation within five days, except in cases that may be prescribed.^[13] When both parties consent in writing, section 37(2) requires the District Commission to refer the matter for mediation "within five days of receipt of such consent".^[13] Section 74(1) requires each State Government to establish, by notification, "a consumer mediation cell to be attached to each of the District Commissions" in that State.^[13]

Under section 39(1), where the District Commission is satisfied that the goods suffer from the defects the complaint specifies, or that the allegations about services, unfair trade practices, or product-liability claims "are proved", it orders the opposite party to do one or more of a list of things, including:^[13]

• "to remove the defect pointed out by the appropriate laboratory from the goods in question";^[13]
• to replace the goods with new goods "of similar description which shall be free from any defect";^[13]
• to return the price "along with such interest on such price or charges as may be decided";^[13]
• to pay compensation for loss or injury "due to the negligence of the opposite party", with "the power to grant punitive damages in such circumstances as it deems fit";^[13]
• "to remove the defects in goods or deficiencies in the services in question";^[13]
• "to discontinue the unfair trade practice or restrictive trade practice and not to repeat them";^[13]
• "to provide for adequate costs to parties".^[13]

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is the regulator set up under section 10 of the Act to regulate violations of consumer rights, unfair trade practices & false or misleading advertisements "which are prejudicial to the interests of public and consumers", & "to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class".^[13] It was established with effect from July 24, 2020.^[24]

The CCPA's website says "CCPA deals with class action matters only" & that "Individual consumer complaints are to be registered through the National Consumer Helpline only."^[49] Section 17 lets a complaint about violations of consumer rights, unfair trade practices or false or misleading advertisements "prejudicial to the interests of consumers as a class" be forwarded "in writing or in electronic mode" to the District Collector, the Commissioner of regional office or the Central Authority.^[13] The CCPA's contact page gives the email address "com-ccpa[at]gov[dot]in".^[50]

MySmartPrice, an Indian price-comparison site, published Sony India's answers to its questions about PlayStation 4 (PS4) Pro warranty coverage on August 5, 2017.^[51] Representatives for Sony PlayStation India told MySmartPrice that customers could call the company's toll-free number "to ascertain whether the seller in question is an authorised partner".^[51] Sony India also said:

It is our understanding that we have a contractual obligation to those consumers who have purchased the product – which carry a Sony India warranty card which is invariably supplied in the product carton box when sold through our authorized partners.

^[51]

It added that where a third party sells Sony game consoles that are not Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) compliant, it is "unable to support those customers who have purchased through other unauthorized sources".^[51]

MensXP, an Indian men's lifestyle website, reported on November 26, 2020 that it had asked Sony India about its policies on consoles imported from other markets & whether warranties would be honoured.^[52] A Sony PlayStation representative said:

We advise our customers to check for the official Sony India Warranty card at the time of purchase to avail warranty benefits within India and in this context, it is important to note that PlayStation products marketed by Sony India are certified based on India safety standards stipulated by BIS

^[52]

Citing the MensXP report, TechRadar, a technology news site, wrote on December 1, 2020 that "the scalper units of PS5 will not get India warranty".^[53]

IGN India's February 2021 feature on a PS5 unit that Sony India sent it said the console ships, similar to the PS4, with a blue and yellow warranty card that includes information such as the model name, serial number & validity date.^[54] IGN India wrote that a PS5 bought online without a dealer stamp still has a valid warranty, "as the bill you got it with is proof enough according to Sony".^[54]

In 2026, Digit reported a separate warranty dispute over a Sony Bravia television, in which a consumer claimed that Sony India had sent him a Rs 5 crore legal notice "after he publicly documented his experience with a failed TV".^[55]