In a nation of 1.4 billion people with a GDP running into trillions of dollars, Rs 45 crore may look like loose change. But to measure the success of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) in mere arithmetic
terms would be to miss the point entirely. For the tens of thousands of consumers who got their money back during an eight-month period, those refunds were not peanuts. They were a restoration of dignity. For a consumer who feels cheated, a refund of even one rupee matters. It is an official acknowledgement that a wrong was done. It tells the consumer that he or she was not foolish, powerless, or invisible. In that sense, the Rs 45 crore facilitated by the NCH is not just money returned; it is confidence restored.
Consider the case highlighted by the helpline itself. A consumer in Bengaluru paid for an Internet package that was never installed. For four months, the company offered excuses that bordered on the absurd—like a mother hen promising her chicks they would soon be able to milk her. With no response and no refund, the consumer approached the NCH. Intervention followed, and the money was returned. “Otherwise, it was difficult to get the amount back,” the consumer said. That single sentence captures the everyday helplessness of Indian consumers. There is a statement attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “The customer is the most important person” in business. Scholars may dispute whether he ever said it, but its relevance remains timeless. Businesses must understand that their responsibility does not end with a sale. Warranty obligations, service commitments, and basic fairness are integral to commerce, not optional add-ons. A dissatisfied consumer is not just a personal grievance; it is a drag on the economy. The tragedy is that most consumers are unaware of their rights. Many do not even realise they have been cheated, let alone believe that redress is possible. The courts exist, but for small sums and everyday disputes, litigation is a Herculean task. Often, it is cheaper to suffer quietly than to fight.
This is where the NCH becomes invaluable. The helpline resolved 67,265 refund-related complaints between April 25 and December 26, 2025, across 31 sectors, without pushing consumers into courts. E-commerce alone accounted for nearly Rs 32 crore in refunds, followed by travel and tourism at Rs 3.5 crore. Agency services, electronic products, and airlines together took the top five sectors to over 85 per cent of total refunds. More than 1,000 partner companies made this quick, low-cost dispute resolution possible under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Whether Gandhi said it or not, the consumer is indeed the king. And it is in the consumer’s satisfaction that the economy truly thrives.
