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Big relief to customers from National Consumer Helpline, ₹ 2.72 crore returned in July

Samira Vishwas | August 23, 2025 3:24 AM CST

National consumer helpline: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said on Friday that the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) got a refund of Rs 2.72 crore in July and 7,256 consumer grievances were resolved in 27 areas. The number of refund complaints in the e-commerce sector was the highest 3,594, resulting in a refund of Rs 1.34 crore. This was followed by the place of travel and tourism sector, where a refund of Rs 31 lakh was done.

The technological change of the helpline has made significant increase in its reach and efficiency. The ministry said that the number of calls has increased by more than ten times, which has increased from 12,553 in December 2015 to 1,55,138 in December 2024. Similarly, average monthly complaint registration has increased from 37,062 to 1,11,951 in 2024 in 2017.

How does Nch work?

According to the ministry, the number of consumers adopting digital mediums has also increased and the complaint registration through WhatsApp has increased from 3 percent in March 2023 to 20 percent in March 2025. NCH acts as a unified platform bringing consumers, government agencies, private sector companies and regulatory bodies together. The number of convergence partners increased from 263 in 2017 to 1,131 companies in 2025.

According to its mandate to protect consumer rights and promote fair trade practices, the Department of Consumer Affairs monitors the complaint data received through NCH. Apart from this, the department also identifies companies which have more complaints and which are not yet part of the convergence program so that further participation can be ensured.

Information given by the ministry

The ministry stated that NCH collaborates with companies that adopt an active approach for grievance redressal and voluntarily incorporate them as a convergence partner. Once included, NCH provides real time complaints to these businesses. NCH has integrated WhatsApp with its toll-free number 1915 to improve access to access during high call volumes and speed up complaint registration.

How can customers lodge a complaint?

When customers have to wait for a long time due to high traffic or technical problems, they WhatsApp Notification is sent, so that they can file a complaint directly through the app. This initiative by providing an easy and easy option to use Helpline Increases reaction and efficiency of.