MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held interior design firm Livspace India Pvt Ltd guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practices over a Goregaon flat renovation that left exposed live wires and saw a heavy kitchen shutter fall on a woman’s head.The commission expressed grave concern over the company’s alleged negligence and hazardous workmanship, observing that it had promised premium materials and branded products, including its “Regalia” modular kitchen range, but systematically substituted them with inferior alternatives.“This bait-and-switch tactic constitutes an unfair trade practice, as it misleads consumers regarding the standard, quality, and grade of services and goods promised,” the commission said.It directed Livspace to pay complainant Deepak Ruiya nearly Rs 87.16 lakh, comprising a refund of Rs 71.62 lakh and Rs 15.54 lakh in interest and compensation. The commission also found that the company had failed to complete the renovation within the agreed timeline, used inferior materials and left the premises in an unsafe condition.“The record evidences severe safety breaches, including uninsulated live electrical wires left exposed behind bed panels, posing a life-threatening hazard to the complainant’s children and elderly family members. Furthermore, the installation was so shoddy that a heavy kitchen shutter collapsed directly onto the complainant’s wife’s head,” it said.The commission also flagged the company’s administrative chaos and lack of professional oversight. It noted that senior designers and project personnel exited without notice, while Livspace changed project managers and designers without Ruiya’s consent, leaving the project without proper supervision for months.“This erratic management directly contributed to substandard execution and severe delay,” the commission observed.Ruiya filed the complaint in 2025 against Livspace India Pvt Ltd, formerly known as Home Interior Designs E-Commerce Pvt Ltd. He had hired the company to design and renovate his flat at Kalpataru Radiance in Goregaon West for Rs 71.62 lakh.Livspace had assured him that the work would be completed within 90 to 120 days. The original handover deadline was July 1, 2024, which was later extended to September 1, 2024.According to Ruiya, despite substantial payments, the project remained incomplete, with designers and managers being changed without notice. He also alleged that the company used lower-grade materials instead of those promised, including HDHMR instead of the specified grade of plywood and “Infiniti” shutters instead of the “Regalia” range.The complaint also highlighted serious safety lapses. Ruiya alleged that live electrical wires were left uninsulated behind bed panels and that, on January 2, 2025, a heavy kitchen shutter fell on his wife’s head due to faulty installation.After issuing a legal notice on December 5, 2024, he approached the commission seeking a refund, compensation and litigation costs.Livspace failed to appear before the commission despite being served notice and a newspaper publication. The matter consequently proceeded ex parte in July 2025.The commission noted that Ruiya’s affidavit, payment records, emails, photographs and survey material remained unrebutted. It held that the company’s failure to meet even the extended deadline and its substitution of promised materials with inferior alternatives amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.Apart from refunding the amount paid with interest, Livspace was directed to pay compensation for mental agony, harassment and the safety risks caused, along with litigation costs.
