Buyer Spent 294 Days At Workshops: Coimbatore Consumer Forum Orders Royal Enfield to Pay ₹5 Lakh Compensation

Holding that a motorcycle buyer was forced to run from one workshop to another for nearly three years because of recurring defects in his Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Coimbatore, recently directed Royal Enfield and its authorised dealer Bharat Automotives to pay ₹5 lakh as compensation for deficiency in service.

The commission also awarded ₹10,000 towards litigation expenses to the complainant, a Coimbatore-based advocate who alleged that the motorcycle repeatedly developed faults despite multiple repairs and replacement of components under warranty.

The complaint was filed by Uthresh, an advocate from Coimbatore, who purchased the Continental GT 650 in May 2022 from Bharat Automotives. According to the records placed before the commission, the motorcycle began showing defects shortly after purchase and continued to suffer recurring technical failures involving several major systems.

The complainant alleged that the motorcycle faced repeated issues relating to the instrument cluster, electrical wiring, suspension setup, throttle body assemblies, sensors, exhaust components and keyset. He claimed that the instrument cluster alone had to be replaced six times because of recurring malfunctioning and fogging problems, while the keyset was changed three times.

Despite repeated repairs at authorised service centres, the defects allegedly continued to reappear.

Documents submitted before the commission showed that the motorcycle was serviced at multiple Royal Enfield workshops located across Coimbatore, Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Noida, New Delhi and Kullu over the ownership period.

The complainant further claimed that the motorcycle remained at service centres for a cumulative period exceeding 294 days due to repairs, inspections and replacement of parts. He argued that the repeated breakdowns and prolonged downtime caused serious inconvenience and disrupted his professional commitments, which required him to travel frequently.

The consumer forum observed that the repeated recurrence of defects, despite several repair attempts, established deficiency in service on the part of the manufacturer and dealer.

Apart from mechanical issues, the complainant also raised grievances regarding the delivery and registration process. According to him, the dealership charged a higher insurance premium than what had initially been quoted during the purchase process.

He further alleged that although he had submitted identity documents containing the correct spelling of his name, the dealership entered incorrect particulars while processing the vehicle registration, leading to an error in the Registration Certificate.

The complaint also highlighted that repeated replacement of the instrument cluster resulted in inconsistent odometer readings, which allegedly affected the resale value of the motorcycle.

During the proceedings, counsel appearing for the complainant relied on service invoices, workshop job cards, email exchanges and repair records to demonstrate the recurring nature of the defects and the prolonged retention of the vehicle at authorised workshops.

The bench comprising Commission President P. Dakshanamoorthy and Member G. Suguna examined the material placed on record and concluded that the complainant had been subjected to hardship and inconvenience because the defects were not permanently rectified despite repeated servicing.

Accordingly, the commission directed Royal Enfield and Bharat Automotives to jointly or severally pay ₹5 lakh compensation towards mental agony, hardship, incidental expenses and deficiency in service suffered by the complainant, along with ₹10,000 towards litigation costs.

Case Title: Uthresh G v. Royal Enfield & Ors

Order Date: May 6, 2026