Not many would bother suing a company over a chappal chewed up by a dog. Boban Mattumantha, a social activist from Palakkad, did exactly that. Two rounds of mediation with the company at the District Consumer Redressal Forum, Palakkad and he won ₹5000 in compensation along with a brand new pair of footwear. 

It all began during one of his temple visits. As usual, Boban left his footwear outside before entering. While he was inside, a stray dog picked one up and happily chewed away.

When Boban returned, he was greeted by a sorry sight. One of his chappals had been badly mangled.

Hoping it could be salvaged, he took it to a local cobbler. But the cobbler had more bad news. He told Boban that the damage was beyond repair because he didn’t have the required materials. His advice? “Try contacting the company.”

Boban probably didn’t expect that suggestion to change his fortunes. He first reached out to the manufacturer, hoping they could repair the footwear. The company replied that the chappal was machine-made and could not be replaced. 

Boban didn’t budge. “In that case, they should not have displayed the customer care number. Also, if there was no way to repair, they should notify that the product was of single use and disposable. Otherwise you are misleading the customers. I fought for the after-sales service, every customer is entitled to – be it a car or a needle, we deserve service after it is sold,” Boban told Onmanorama.

In the second round of mediation, the company agreed to pay him ₹5,000 as compensation and provide him with a brand-new pair of chappals worth ₹839.