A private limited company purchases a packaging machine for its manufacturing business and, finding it defective, wants to file a complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The company:

Section 2(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 defines a consumer as a person who buys goods or hires services for consideration, but expressly excludes a person who obtains such goods for resale or for any commercial purpose. The exclusion does not cover a person who buys goods or services exclusively for the purpose of earning a livelihood by means of self-employment. A private limited company purchasing machinery for its manufacturing business obtains it for a commercial purpose and therefore falls outside the definition; it cannot maintain a complaint as a consumer, though it may pursue remedies under contract or other law. Registration as a small enterprise or the price of the goods does not alter this position.