In matter of Jaquar and Company Pvt. Ltd. (LED) (CCPA Delhi)
CCPA Orders Jaquar and Company Pvt. Ltd. for Withdrawal of Misleading 50,000-Hour LED Claim, Imposes ₹5 Lakh Penalty
This matter concerns a suo motu proceeding initiated by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) against Jaquar and Company Pvt. Ltd. regarding the advertisement and marketing of its 9W and 12W LED bulbs carrying the claim “Rated Life 50,000 Hrs.” The proceedings examined whether the claim constituted a misleading advertisement and an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The CCPA took cognizance after observing that the opposite party prominently displayed the “Rated Life 50,000 Hrs.” claim on product packaging and e-commerce platforms while offering only one or two years’ warranty, and in some cases no warranty. The Authority considered that the advertised lifespan appeared inconsistent with the warranty period and that the claim of an exceptionally long lifespan appeared unsupported by adequate substantiation. A notice dated 02.05.2023 was issued requiring a response, but no reply was received. The opposite party also failed to appear at the first hearing on 12.12.2023.
At a subsequent hearing on 04.10.2024, the CCPA directed the opposite party to submit written submissions explaining the “Rated Life 50,000 Hrs.” claim. In its reply dated 26.10.2024, the company contended that the lifespan claim was based on laboratory tests of LED chips and represented the quality of the LED chip rather than the finished product. It stated that the claim was not intended as a warranty but as a quality benchmark, that the LED chips had a lifespan exceeding 50,000 hours, and that the product warranty of two years was separate from the rated life. The company also produced test reports and data sheets relating to the LED chips.
