The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has officially filed a complaint with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs against e-commerce giant Flipkart and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan for deceptive smartphone advertisements. This complaint has been submitted to the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in response to an advertisement promoting Flipkart’s forthcoming Big Billion Days sale in 2023.
According to CAIT, the advertisement includes inaccurate information about smartphone prices, which is harmful to offline retailers.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Flipkart Ad Criticized as Misleading by Traders’ Association
In the disputed advertisement, Amitabh Bachchan is said to have supported Flipkart’s claim that exclusive deals and discounts on mobile phones were exclusively accessible on their platform, implying that physical stores did not offer such promotions. CAIT, the leading traders’ association, criticized this advertisement as misleading and detrimental to the interests of local retailers.
Praveen Khandelwal, the General Secretary of CAIT, announced on Twitter that CAIT has submitted a complaint to CCPA against Flipkart and Amitabh Bachchan.
Sumit Agarwal, the National Secretary and Youth Convenor of CAIT called on Amitabh Bachchan to reconsider his partnership with Flipkart, stressing the responsibility that comes with his influence. He underscored the harmful consequences of the misleading assertions made by the veteran actor in the Flipkart advertisement.
AIT Demands Removal of Ad, Fine for Flipkart and Bachchan
CAIT’s complaint not only demands the immediate removal of the contentious advertisement but also requests fines of Rs 10 lakh each on Flipkart and Amitabh Bachchan. The traders’ organization accused Flipkart of participating in unjust trade practices, asserting that such deceptive advertisements distort competition and influence consumer decisions. CAIT argued that the ad inaccurately represented the market prices of mobile phones, providing information that was deemed “malicious, deceptive, and manipulative.”
The Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2023, which has become the focal point of this dispute, is scheduled to begin on October 8 and end on October 15.
