After the
adjournment at the last
hearing, I went to court this morning expecting only a new date for
the next hearing.
Exide was, once again, represented by the minion rather than the lawyer.
I asked if the lawyer would turn up at all, and was told that he was "on
the way" (as always). My case was passed over, to wait for the lawyer's
arrival. When I was called again, he still hadn't arrived. The (new)
president of the forum was not inclined to wait any further, and to
my surprise, he asked me to present my arguments.
I tried to state the case according to my notes, but the president was
obviously in a hurry, and kept asking me to skip things. But I could see
that the forum had read my case file and were familiar with the evidence
I had presented. So I skipped to my central assertion, which is that the
tests they had conducted on my batteries were misleading. The arguments
were admitted, and the president scolded the hapless minion (who was in
court only to say that the lawyer was on his way, and didn't know
anything about the case itself), and pointed out that the field
inspection reports from Exide themselves concluded that one battery was
faulty, and that it should have been replaced.
"We'll file an order in one week."
Update Exide's lawyer called me, saying that he reached late and
was told that I had agreed to the replacement of one battery. I said I
had done no such thing, and said we should wait for the order. Even if
the forum orders nothing more than to replace one battery (which would
mean I'd be stuck with one battery I couldn't use), it's fine with me.