03/10/2022
The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will publish a draft framework for dispute resolution, as it seeks to boost consumer trust in the ambitious initiative, which is slated to go live later this month.
The online dispute resolution (ODR) will be handled by a third-party agency that will review the digital trail left behind by individual orders and take a call.
Consumers will be able to track the status of complaints, how many are resolved, and will be involved in the final rating of merchants on the network.
ONDC will also record all complaints filed against a particular entity, linked directly to the network-wide reputation index that tabulates percentages of complaints raised, resolved or not resolved, as well as those that consumers may choose to take to consumer courts.
The draft document will be based on the ODR Policy Plan published by an expert committee of the Centre’s public policy think tank Niti Aayog in October 2021.
Why it’s needed: ONDC’s move comes amid a debate on the need for a robust dispute resolution framework if ONDC is to compete effectively against the likes of ecommerce majors Amazon and Flipkart.
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