Casas Bahia ordered to pay R$4,000 compensation for defective TV sale

A Brazilian consumer court ruled that retailer Casas Bahia must compensate a customer for a television that failed after just 14 days of use. Judge Luis Fillipe de Godoi of the Vara do Único Ofício de Igreja Nova ordered the company to pay R$4,000 in moral damages and to refund the R$1,399 purchase price.

The judge rejected Casas Bahia’s claim that it was not liable, stating that all parties in the supply chain share responsibility for product defects. The decision underscores the application of the “Theory of Consumer Productive Deviation,” which holds providers accountable for disrupting a consumer’s use of a purchased good.

The ruling highlights the legal obligations of retailers in Brazil to address faulty goods promptly and to provide adequate assistance to consumers.