A courier company handled Sunita’s parcel carelessly and left it out in the rain, so the books inside were spoilt.
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the careless handling of the parcel by the courier company is an example of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Deficiency
Option (1) Deficiency — Correct. The courier gives a service. Its negligence spoilt the books and caused Sunita a loss. Deficiency includes an act of negligence in a service that causes loss or injury.
Option (2) Defect — Incorrect. A defect is a fault in goods or a product. The fault here was in the courier’s service.
Option (3) Restrictive trade practice — Incorrect. A restrictive trade practice manipulates price or the flow of supplies. Nothing like that happened.
Option (4) Unfair trade practice — Incorrect. An unfair trade practice falsely represents goods or service to promote sales. The courier made no false claim.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Terms & Definitions … 4. Unfair trade practice: A trade practice for the purpose of promoting sale, use or supply of any goods or service falsely represents its quality, standard, quantity, composition, style or model. |