The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has lodged a formal complaint with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs against e-commerce giant Flipkart and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan for misleading advertisements on smartphones. The complaint has been filed with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) against an advertisement promoting Flipkart’s upcoming
Big Billion Days sale in 2023.CAIT claims that the advertisement contains false information on smartphone prices, which is detrimental to offline retailers.
In the contentious advertisement, Amitabh Bachchan allegedly endorsed Flipkart’s assertion that exclusive deals and discounts on mobile phones were solely available on their platform, insinuating that offline stores lacked such offers. CAIT, the apex traders’ organisation, condemned this commercial as misleading and damaging to the interests of local retailers.
Praveen Khandelwal, the General Secretary of CAIT, tweeted that CAIT has filed a complaint with CCPA against
Flipkart and Amitabh Bachchan.
“Aggrieved with the misleading advertisement of #Flipkart endorsed by @SrBachchan, @CAITIndia today filed a strong complaint with #ccpa of @jagograhakjago demanding a penalty for Mr Bachchan and imprisonment and penalty for #Flipkart as per Sec 2(47) of CCPA Act. No one how big may be should try to take a ride on traders of India.”
Sumit Agarwal, National Secretary and Youth Convenor of CAIT urged Amitabh Bachchan to reconsider his association with Flipkart, emphasising the responsibility that accompanies his influence. He highlighted the detrimental impact of false claims made in the Flipkart advertisement by the veteran actor.
CAIT’s complaint not only calls for the immediate removal of the disputed ad but also seeks penalties amounting to Rs 10 lakh each on Flipkart and Amitabh Bachchan. The traders’ body accused Flipkart of engaging in unfair trade practices, asserting that such misleading advertisements distort competition and manipulate consumer choice. CAIT argued that the ad falsely portrayed the price at which mobile phones are available in the market, presenting information that was “malicious, misleading and manipulative.”
The Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2023, which has now become the centre of this controversy, will commence on October 8 and conclude on October 15.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
