NCH Sees Surge in Monthly Complaints, Exceeding 100,000 Mark, Bolstering Consumer Trust

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): According to the Center, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has established itself as an important platform for protecting consumer rights and ensuring fair business practices. NCH facilitates collaboration between consumers, companies, and authorities by resolving complaints in a timely manner. Furthermore, NCH leverages technology to enable individuals to access justice without lengthy legal processes.

Leveraging technology has significantly increased the reach and efficiency of the helpline, with call volumes increasing more than tenfold, according to official data.

The number of calls has increased from 12,553 in December 2015 to 1,55,138 in December 2024. At the same time, the average number of monthly complaint registrations has increased from 37,062 in 2017 to 1,70,585 in 2025.

Similarly, the number of Convergence Partners has increased from 263 in 2017 to 1,142 companies by September 2025. This has strengthened the collaborative mechanism for timely grievance redressal.

Under the Convergence initiative, companies partner with the National Consumer Helpline on a voluntary and free basis to ensure prompt resolution of customer complaints. Complaints are sent immediately, and companies are expected to respond within 30 days.

According to information provided by the government, with the advent of digital channels, approximately 65 percent of consumer complaints on helplines are registered online and through digital means. Complaint registrations through WhatsApp have seen an increase, from 3 percent in March 2023 to 20 percent in March 2025.

The National Consumer Helpline resolved 7,256 consumer complaints across 27 different sectors in July 2025 and facilitated total refunds of Rs 2.72 crore.

In April 2025, 1,079 consumer complaints were resolved, with total refunds of ₹6.2 million. Similarly, the e-commerce sector had the highest number of refund-related complaints for July 2025, with 3,594 cases resulting in refunds of ₹13.4 million.

According to the Centre, the National Consumer Helpline received 3,981 calls related to GST issues till October 2, 2025, since the implementation of the Next Gen GST Reforms 2025. Of these, 31 per cent were queries and 69 per cent were formal complaints, which were considered for further action.

Out of the total complaints, 1,992 complaints have been forwarded to CBIC for further action, while 761 complaints have been immediately forwarded to the respective convergence partner companies for direct resolution.