The order was passed by the Mohali district consumer disputes redressal commission, comprising president SK Aggarwal and member Paramjeet Kaur, on a complaint filed by Dr Rajdeep Singh, a resident of Sector 69.

Developed snags within months

According to the complaint, Dr Singh purchased a 6KW on-grid rooftop solar power plant from Tecsa Solar Systems in January 2021 for ₹2.9 lakh. The company had promised installation within four to six weeks, free services during the warranty period and prompt repairs. The plant became operational only after a delay of around three-and-a-half months and subsequently developed repeated faults.

The complainant alleged that the installer failed to properly check the electricity connection and inverter functioning, forcing him to seek assistance from PSPCL staff. He also claimed that the company never provided a proper demonstration of the system and repeatedly failed to address technical issues. The plant reportedly remained non-functional for several weeks, leading to a loss of electricity generation.

As the firm’s representatives failed to appear before the commission, the proceedings went on ex-parte.

Inverter manufacturer held not liable

One of the notable aspects of the case was that the inverter manufacturer, Luminous Power Technologies, escaped liability after successfully arguing that the inverter failures stemmed from faulty installation and defective earthing carried out by the installer. The company produced records showing that it had replaced the inverter twice free-of-cost, even though the damage fell outside warranty coverage.

The commission accepted Luminous’ defence and found no deficiency in service on its part. It also noted that Panasonic India, the solar panel manufacturer, could not be held liable as the complaint against it had not been admitted earlier.

Poor workmanship, after-sales support

While declining to order an immediate refund, the commission held that the repeated malfunctioning of major components shortly after installation reflected poor workmanship and inadequate after-sales support by Tecsa Solar Systems.

The commission directed the company to make the entire solar plant fully functional within a month. If it fails to do so, it must refund the entire cost within the following two months, failing which the amount will carry 6% annual interest from March 21, 2022. The company was also ordered to pay ₹30,000 as compensation and litigation costs.