₹105 crore returned to consumers: how the National Consumer Helpline could help you get a refund

If you’re waiting for a refund, struggling with a faulty product or getting nowhere with a company, you don’t necessarily need to take legal action to get your money back.

New government figures show that the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) helped facilitate more than ₹105 crore in refunds by addressing 1,66,189 refund-related grievances across 35 sectors between 25 April 2025 and 31 July 2026. Crucially, these refunds were secured at the pre-litigation stage, meaning you may be able to resolve your complaint without approaching a Consumer Commission.

Online shopping generated the biggest refunds

If your complaint involves an online purchase, the figures are particularly significant. E-commerce accounted for 1,00,466 of the refund-related grievances handled by the NCH and more than ₹74 crore in refunds.

Travel and tourism was another major area, with more than ₹10 crore in refunds facilitated. And the amounts involved varied considerably: between May and July 2026 alone, e-commerce refunds ranged from just ₹1 to more than ₹35.83 lakh.

This shows that you can use the service whether you’re chasing a relatively small refund or dealing with a much larger consumer dispute.

What can the National Consumer Helpline do for you?

The NCH is run by the Department of Consumer Affairs and gives you a way to escalate a consumer complaint before taking it to a Consumer Commission. When you register a grievance, the NCH can digitally forward it to the company concerned for resolution within defined timelines, while the complaint and your feedback are tracked.

Recent cases show how this can work in practice. One consumer received a full ₹47,490 refund after a mobile phone delivery was repeatedly delayed. Another recovered a ₹5,000 two-wheeler booking payment after a dealer failed to refund it following cancellation. Consumers have also secured refunds after receiving incorrect or substandard products.

How to make a complaint

If you’ve already contacted the business and haven’t been able to resolve the problem, you can register your grievance with the NCH in several ways:

• Call 1915
• Send a WhatsApp message or SMS to 8800001915
• Use the National Consumer Helpline/INGRAM online portal
• Use the NCH or UMANG mobile apps

The service provides grievance support in 17 languages.

When you complain, give a clear explanation of what happened, what you’ve already done to resolve it and what you want the business to do.

What evidence should you keep?

Good evidence can make it much easier to show what went wrong. Depending on your complaint, keep copies of your:

• Invoice, receipt or order confirmation
• Payment or bank records
• Emails, messages and complaint correspondence
• Screenshots of the product or service description
• Cancellation, return or refund requests
• Photos or videos showing faulty, damaged or incorrect goods
• Delivery or tracking information

You should also keep a simple timeline showing when you ordered or paid, when the problem occurred and when you contacted the company.

What if the NCH doesn’t resolve your complaint?

The NCH is designed to help you resolve your dispute before litigation, but using it doesn’t guarantee that every company will agree to your requested outcome.

If your complaint remains unresolved, you can consider taking it to the appropriate Consumer Commission under the Consumer Protection Act. Depending on your case, you may be able to seek a refund, replacement, compensation or another form of redress.

Keep your NCH grievance details and all the evidence you’ve collected. This can help you demonstrate what happened and the steps you took to try to resolve the dispute before escalating it.

Don’t give up on a refund

If a company keeps delaying your refund or simply stops responding, you don’t have to assume the money is lost.

The latest figures show that consumers across India are using the National Consumer Helpline to recover money from businesses without immediately resorting to formal proceedings. With more than ₹105 crore in refunds facilitated in just 15 months, raising your complaint could be well worth the effort.

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.

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