The Public Consumer Initiative (OPI) has prepared a lawsuit in the Khimki City Court against Bosch for violation of consumer rights, namely non-compliance with warranty obligations, writes Izvestia.
Lawsuits were immediately filed against two legal entities that represent Bosch in Russia and are part of it: Robert Bosch LLC, which imports garden tools, electrical and auto parts into the Russian Federation, and BSH Household Appliances LLC, which is responsible for importing and manufacturing of household appliances including irons, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, dishwashers, coffee makers, blenders, ovens, etc.
The statement of claim states that the German company Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch) has ceased its activities in Russia as a result of the anti-Russian economic sanctions, but at the same time still has legal obligations towards Russian consumers. This includes the replacement of a defective product with a new one of the same brand, as well as other warranty obligations. However, this is not being done, meaning that the representative companies are violating the duties assigned to them by law and the legitimate rights of Russian consumers, the lawsuit emphasizes.
In the past three years, Bosch has sold products worth 250 billion rubles on the Russian market. And this amount included, among other things, the warranty and post-warranty support paid by Russian citizens.
In addition to violating consumer rights, the company closed production facilities in Russia, which employed thousands of workers. Damage was also done to adjacent areas vital to the brand’s products (including automotive components for the production of cars and trucks).
The PIO is asking for Bosch’s actions to be recognized as illegal and for it to resume import or production of branded goods in the amount necessary for the company to meet its warranty obligations.
Market experts say the problem is not that foreign brands have left Russia, but that many of them are indeed no longer meeting their warranty obligations. Companies also do not recognize any obligations related to parallel import equipment.