Patna: In today’s digital world, buying insurance, booking travel tickets or ordering daily essentials online has become extremely easy. However, along with this convenience, problems have also increased. Many consumers face situations where insurance companies refuse claims, hospitals deny cashless treatment, online shopping platforms deliver defective or wrong products, or companies delay refunds despite repeated complaints. Mobile, internet and other service providers often make big promises, collect money, and then fail to deliver. Such issues have slowly become a routine part of daily life for many consumers.
Most people choose not to raise their voice against these problems. The fear of court cases, expensive lawyers and long legal processes discourages them from taking action. This silence has often benefited companies and sellers, who take advantage of consumers’ helplessness. To address this growing problem, the Directorate of Consumer Protection under the Department of Food and Consumer Protection has strengthened the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), offering a simple and effective way for people to resolve complaints without going to court.
The impact of the helpline has been encouraging. Rajneesh Kumar, a member of the Patna District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, said that many consumers are now getting their money back within a few hours or, at most, two to three days. Complaints can be registered through a phone call, WhatsApp message or SMS, making the process easy even for those who are not comfortable with technology. In 2025, the Patna district commission received 440 cases from consumers who were not satisfied with helpline outcomes, while it disposed of 1,033 cases, including old pending ones. Earlier, insurance-related issues were common, but now most complaints are linked to e-commerce platforms, especially electronic goods and fast delivery services.
The National Consumer Helpline works from 8am to 8pm. Consumers can register complaints by calling the toll-free number 1915, sending a WhatsApp message or SMS to 8800001915, or using the Umang app. While filing a complaint, people are advised to keep documents ready, such as bills, order IDs, proof of payment, photos or videos of the issue, and records of communication with the company. If the company fails to respond within three to seven days or the consumer is not satisfied with the solution, the helpline intervenes. If the matter still remains unresolved, consumers can approach consumer commissions at the district, state or national level, depending on the value of the case.
Several real-life cases show how effective this system has become. A resident of Patna received a full refund after cancelling a flight ticket and complaining through the helpline. Another consumer got his prepaid grocery payment back within two days when the order was neither delivered nor refunded. In other cases, people received refunds for defective washing machines and wrongly delivered refrigerators after raising complaints. The helpline also helps in cases of overcharging, poor quality or expired goods, misleading advertisements and poor services. Overall, the National Consumer Helpline is proving to be a reliable and simple support system, ensuring that consumers no longer have to suffer silently and can seek justice from their homes.
