Complaint Help Center
Simple, practical guides to help Indian users understand what to write, what documents to collect, and how to prepare a stronger complaint before taking the next step.
Important: GetNyay provides document preparation and complaint guidance support. We do not provide legal representation or guarantee any outcome. For complex legal matters, please consult a qualified advocate.
A complaint in India usually works in this order: a written complaint to the company's Grievance Officer with a 15-day deadline, then escalation inside the company, then to the sector forum — the RBI Ombudsman for banking, the Insurance Ombudsman for insurance, the operator's Appellate Authority for telecom, state RERA for real estate, DGCA through AirSewa for airlines, the CGRF for electricity — and the District Consumer Commission at e-jagriti.gov.in. The written complaint to the company is worth making in every case, because it is the evidence the forum reads. It is a strict condition only for the ombudsman schemes; a Consumer Commission complaint under section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 does not require it.
Key takeaways
- Escalating out of order is the single commonest reason a complaint stalls. Each forum asks for the one below it.
- A phone call is not a complaint. Nothing above the company can act on a conversation with no reference number.
- The Grievance Officer and the Nodal Officer are different roles, and addressing the right one changes who reads the file.
- Sector routes are free, but what they can decide differs — the RBI and Insurance Ombudsman pass binding awards, while TRAI regulates the framework rather than deciding individual complaints. The consumer commission is the route that also awards compensation and costs.
- Every escalation deadline is measured from your first written complaint — so reply in the same thread rather than opening new tickets.
Choose a complaint category
Each guide covers what to collect, what to write, common mistakes to avoid, and how to escalate effectively.
How to Prepare a Consumer Complaint in India
Defective products, poor service, refund denied, false advertising — know what to write and what proof to collect.
How to Prepare a Cyber Fraud Complaint in India
UPI fraud, phishing, fake websites, unauthorized transactions — act fast and document everything.
How to Prepare a Bank Complaint in India
Wrong charges, unauthorized debits, loan problems, account issues — know the proper escalation path.
How to Prepare an Insurance Complaint in India
Claim rejected, delayed settlement, policy mis-sold — know how to push back with a proper complaint.
How to Prepare a Builder or Real Estate Complaint in India
Delayed possession, amenities not provided, RERA violation — know how to formally hold your builder accountable.
How to Prepare an Online Shopping Refund Complaint in India
Refund not received, return rejected, wrong item delivered — escalate the right way with proper documentation.
How to Prepare a Telecom Complaint in India
Wrong billing, unauthorized charges, poor network, number portability issues — know your TRAI rights.
How to Prepare an Electricity or Utility Complaint in India
Inflated bills, meter disputes, wrong readings, supply interruption — know your rights as a consumer.
How to Prepare an Employer Salary or Workplace Payment Complaint in India
Salary withheld, PF not deposited, gratuity or FnF pending — know the formal steps to take.
How to Prepare a Travel or Airline Complaint in India
Flight cancelled, refund not given, baggage lost, denied boarding — know your DGCA rights.
What to collect
Every guide includes a clear list of information and documents you need to gather before writing your complaint.
What to write
Each guide includes a practical sample complaint format and a list of what your letter must include.
How to escalate
Understand the right authority to approach — consumer forum, ombudsman, RERA, TRAI, DGCA, or labour court.
The order every complaint has to follow
Indian grievance systems are built as ladders. Most of the rungs are advisable rather than compulsory: a consumer who goes straight to a Consumer Commission is entitled to be heard, but arrives without the written record that makes the case easy — while one who stays on the company helpline for eight months arrives with the limitation period half gone. The ombudsman schemes are the exception, and there the first rung really is a condition of entry.
The productive approach is to move deliberately, on a schedule you set rather than one the company sets, and to preserve the date of the first written complaint at every step.
- 1Written complaint to the company, addressed to the Grievance Redressal Officer, with the identifiers, the facts in dated order, the exact relief and a 15-day deadline. Obtain a reference number.
- 2Escalation to the Nodal Officer or appellate authority, on the same reference number — not as a fresh ticket, which resets the clock the company will later quote at you.
- 3The sector regulator, once the company's period has expired. Free, and binding within the sector.
- 4The National Consumer Helpline on 1800-11-4000 or consumerhelpline.gov.in — free mediation, useful in parallel and effective for sectors with no dedicated regulator.
- 5The District Consumer Commission at e-jagriti.gov.in, which can award compensation for deficiency and mental agony as well as the money itself.
Companies close and re-open tickets constantly, and each new ticket restarts the clock they will later rely on. Reply inside the original email thread every time, quote the original reference number, and the delay stays visible on the face of the record.
Grievance Officer, Nodal Officer, appellate authority: who is who
These are not marketing labels. Several are statutory or regulatory appointments, and naming the right one moves a complaint out of the scripted queue that first-line support operates.
| Role | Where it comes from | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Customer care | The company's own process | First contact only. Always insist on a written reference number |
| Grievance Officer | A statutory appointment for e-commerce entities under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, and a regulatory requirement across most regulated sectors | The first escalation, and the correct addressee for your written complaint |
| Nodal Officer | Published by banks, insurers and payment companies under their regulators' grievance frameworks. Telecom no longer has this tier. | A second escalation worth using, once the Grievance Officer has failed or not replied |
| Principal Nodal Officer | The senior banking escalation under RBI's grievance framework | The senior internal escalation. Worth using, but not a step the RBI Ombudsman requires, and it starts no fresh waiting period |
| Appellate authority | Published by airlines, telecom operators and several other regulated sectors | For telecom, the second and last tier inside the operator, straight after the Complaint Centre |
| Rule 4 nodal person of contact | Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 — a compliance contact resident in India | A second named recipient when an e-commerce grievance channel goes quiet |
These appointments change. Take a dated screenshot of the company's published grievance page when you find it — it fixes who you were required to write to, and when.
Which regulator covers your complaint
Sector regulators are free, binding within their sector, and much faster than a commission. They are also the step most consumers skip entirely, usually because nobody tells them it exists.
| Sector | Regulator route | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Banking, cards, NBFCs, payment apps | RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in | After 30 days from your written complaint, and within 90 days of that expiry or the bank's last communication |
| Insurance | Bima Bharosa (IRDAI), then the Insurance Ombudsman | Within one year of the insurer's rejection; awards up to ₹50 lakh |
| Telecom and broadband | The Complaint Centre, then the operator's Appellate Authority | Then the Consumer Commission — TRAI does not decide individual complaints |
| Real estate and builders | The state RERA authority under Section 31 | The project must be registered; complaints to be decided within 60 days |
| Airlines and airports | AirSewa at airsewa.gov.in (Ministry of Civil Aviation) | After a written complaint to the airline with a reference number |
| Railways | RailMadad | Booking and service grievances, tracked by PNR |
| Electricity | Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum under Section 42(5), then the Electricity Ombudsman | CGRF to decide within 60 days; 30 days to move to the Ombudsman |
| E-commerce and general consumer | National Consumer Helpline, then the consumer commission | After the platform's one-month redressal period under the E-Commerce Rules, 2020 |
Regulator routes are free. Anyone charging a fee to file on your behalf at one of these portals is charging for something you can do yourself in twenty minutes.
What separates a complaint that gets escalated from one that gets a template reply
Complaint handling is a workflow, and workflows respond to identifiers and deadlines rather than to how strongly you feel. The difference between a complaint that gets routed upward and one that gets an apology is almost entirely structural.
- Open with identifiers — account, order, policy, PNR or consumer number, with the amount and the date — not with narrative.
- Set the facts out as a dated list, one event per line, with no adjectives. Dates are what make delay self-evident.
- List every earlier contact with its reference number and date, including calls where you were given a ticket ID.
- Name the obligation you say has been breached — a regulatory timeline, a published policy quoted verbatim, a statutory provision.
- State the relief as a specific figure and a specific action, not as "appropriate resolution".
- Give a deadline, conventionally 15 days, and say what you will do next, naming the regulator and the commission.
- List the enclosures and actually attach them, as one labelled PDF.
- Send by email from your registered address and by Speed Post with Registration and Proof of Delivery, and keep the booking receipt.
"It has been two months and nobody replies" is easy to file away. "The refund was due within 7 days of 12 May and 91 days have now elapsed" has to be answered in writing. The second version is not angrier — it is simply harder to close.
Where a complaint ends up, and what it costs
| Value of consideration paid | Commission | Filing fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹5 lakh | District Commission | Nil |
| Above ₹5 lakh and up to ₹10 lakh | District Commission | ₹200 |
| Above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹20 lakh | District Commission | ₹400 |
| Above ₹20 lakh and up to ₹50 lakh | District Commission | ₹1,000 |
| Above ₹50 lakh and up to ₹2 crore | State Commission | ₹2,000 and upward by slab |
| Above ₹2 crore | National Commission | By slab, as notified |
Jurisdiction follows the value of the consideration you paid, not the compensation you claim — a point the Supreme Court has confirmed and that self-filed complaints regularly get wrong. You may file where you reside or personally work for gain. Confirm the current fee on e-jagriti.gov.in.
A prayer clause that asks only for the refund gets you the refund you were owed anyway. Add interest from the date it fell due, compensation for deficiency and mental agony, documented consequential loss, and litigation costs — each as a separate quantified item, because a commission cannot award what is not on the record.
The deadlines that decide whether you are heard at all
| Route | Deadline | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer commission | 2 years | The date the cause of action arose |
| RBI Ombudsman | 30-day wait, then a 90-day window | Expiry of the bank response period, or the bank's last communication |
| Insurance Ombudsman | 1 year | The insurer's rejection of your representation |
| Electricity Ombudsman | 30 days | The CGRF decision, or the expiry of its 60 days |
| E-commerce grievance redressal | 1 month | The platform's receipt of your complaint |
| Cheque bounce notice under Section 138 | 30 days | Receipt of information of dishonour from the bank |
| Civil suit for recovery of money | 3 years | The date the money became due |
The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 came into force on 1 July 2026 and cut the banking window from one year to 90 days. Much of the guidance still online quotes the old figure.
More questions about this page
How do I write a complaint letter to a company in India?▼
What is the difference between a Grievance Officer and a Nodal Officer?▼
Do I have to complain to the company before going to a regulator?▼
Which regulator covers my complaint?▼
Is a phone complaint enough?▼
How many days should I give the company?▼
Where do I file a consumer complaint and what does it cost?▼
Do I need a lawyer to complain?▼
Can I complain to a regulator and a consumer commission at the same time?▼
How long do I have before it is too late?▼
What can a consumer commission actually award?▼
Does GetNyay file the complaint for me?▼
Official sources checked
The statutes, rules and regulator pages the statements on this page were checked against.
- Deficiency in service, unfair trade practice, and the two-year limitation.
- Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District, State and National Commission) Rules, 2021Pecuniary limits measured by the value of the consideration paid: ₹50 lakh, ₹2 crore.
- The consumer commission filing portal since 1 January 2025, when it absorbed eDaakhil, OCMS, CONFONET and the NCDRC case management system.
- Free government mediation on 1800-11-4000; also the route through which counterfeit reports reach the CCPA.
- In force 1 July 2026, repealing RB-IOS 2021. 30-day wait, 90-day filing window, ₹30 lakh and ₹3 lakh ceilings.
- ₹50 lakh ceiling; one year from the insurer’s rejection; one month where the insurer does not reply.
- Rule 15: grievance redressal within 30 days ordinarily, and 45 days at the outside.
- The grievance portal through which an airline complaint reaches the DGCA.
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