Consumer helpline facilitates ₹7.14 crore refunds in 2 months; e-commerce tops grievance list

The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has facilitated refunds worth ₹7.14 crore to consumers in the last two months, with the e-commerce sector accounting for the highest number of grievances and refund amounts, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said on Friday.

The refunds were processed between April 25 and June 30 this year, addressing 15,426 consumer grievances related to refund claims across 30 sectors.

E-commerce recorded the highest number of grievances at 8,919, with refunds worth ₹3.69 crore facilitated during the period. This was followed by the travel and tourism sector, which saw refunds of ₹81 lakh against 1,057 grievances, while the general insurance sector accounted for refunds of over ₹41 lakh from 101 grievances.

Agency services and the airline sectors facilitated refunds worth ₹38 lakh and ₹30 lakh, respectively.

“The facilitation of ₹7.14 crore in refunds between 25th April and 30th June 2025 reflects the efficacy and responsiveness of the helpline, driven by the expansion of convergence partners and strong stakeholder engagement,” the ministry said, highlighting NCH’s vital role in ensuring “timely, hassle-free grievance redressal.”

The ministry also cited multiple consumer success stories, including a refund of over ₹8 lakh to a Kolkata resident for a cancelled flight ticket, swift refunds for undelivered grocery orders in West Bengal and Maharashtra, and resolution of complaints related to defective products in Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh.

How to raise complaint with National Consumer Helpline

• Consumers can register their grievances through the toll-free number 1915 in 17 languages.

• Grievances can also be submitted through the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an Omni-channel, IT-enabled central portal.

• Multiple channels are available for this purpose, including WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca[at]gov[dot]in), the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in), and the UMANG App.

The Department of Consumer Affairs urged all consumers to actively use the helpline to safeguard their rights and seek timely grievance redressal.