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Elante Mall’s Pantaloons to pay ₹600 for charging ₹5 for carry bag
A complainant alleged that visitors were not allowed to carry their own shopping bags inside the showroom.
In three different cases, the district consumer disputes redressal forum directed retail company Pantaloons to pay ₹600 to each complainant besides refunding ₹5 charged for carry bags.
Inderjit Singh from Mohali had submitted that he bought a pair of shoes worth ₹499 from the company’s outlet in Elante Mall. He said the cashier told him that he was required to pay ₹5 for a paper carry bag.
He said the visitors were not allowed to carry their own shopping bags inside the showroom.
Similar complaints were filed by Abhishek Siwach of Chandigarh’s Sector 44 and Anish Narula of Mohali.
The store pleaded that the name of the brand was not printed for any advertisement purpose and maintained that honouring the directions passed by the forum in a case, it has stopped charging for the carry bags and started providing free carry bags to all its customers who purchase articles from them.
The consumer forum observed, “Since the store has apologised for its mistake and stopped charging for the paper carry bags and has remorse and repentant on its mistake, therefore, we think that if somebody learnt a lesson, then a lenient view should be taken qua that person.”
The forum directed the store to refund the cost of carry bag (₹5), pay ₹100 compensation for harassment and mental agony besides ₹500 as litigation expenses to each complainant.
