In Brief
A company manufacturing medical devices purchased IT software services from a vendor for its export-import documentation system. When the software malfunctioned, the company filed a consumer complaint seeking refunds and compensation. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that commercial entities availing services for business automation and profit-maximization cannot be "consumers" under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The Act's consumer protections apply to individuals and small entrepreneurs using services for self-employment, not to corporations engaged in business-to-business contracts. Such disputes must be resolved through commercial courts or arbitration, not consumer forums.
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