Charging for carry bags costs Mohali store dear

For charging ₹12 for a carry bag, Mohali consumer disputes redressal commission has directed Central, a division of Future Lifestyle Fashions limited (FLFL) at VR Punjab, Mohali, to pay compensation of ₹7,000 to a Mohali resident for her mental agony and harassment as well as litigation expenses

Charging for carry bag costs a store dear after its argument that the levy is a way to encourage the customers to carry their own bags, failed to win the confidence of the district consumer disputes redressal commission, Mohali.

Charging for carry bags costs Mohali store dear. (HT)

For charging ₹12 for a carry bag, Mohali consumer disputes redressal commission has directed Central, a division of Future Lifestyle Fashions limited (FLFL) at VR Punjab, Mohali, to pay compensation of ₹7,000 to a Mohali resident for her mental agony and harassment as well as litigation expenses.

“We are of the view that even if the carry bag was charged as a practice to motivate the shoppers to bring their own bags and save environment, it is still an unfair trade practice and a deficiency in service on the part of Central as the price of the carry bag included in the invoice was added without the customer’s consent and prior information. No choice regarding the price, size, material and other particulars of the carry bag were shared,”said the district consumer disputes commission while disposing off the complaint filed by Vaishali Jindal of Phase-1, Mohali. The order also directed Central to refund ₹12 with 9% interest from July 2019, within 30 days.

In her complaint Jindal had said that she had visited Central on July 21, 2019, to purchase some articles. She was charged ₹12 for the carry bag and when she told the concerned person at the billing counter that it was not permissible under law to charge the customers for a carry bag, no heed was paid to her objection.

Charges encourage customers to carry their own bags: Central

Central, while seeking dismissal of complaint terming it as baseless and misconceived, said, “We follow an environmentally responsible policy aimed at encouraging customers to carry their own shopping bags. A suitable notice is brought to the knowledge of the customers by way of advertisements and posters displayed at prominent locations in the concerned store. The complainant was duly informed at the time of collecting the articles from the cash counter regarding the amount charged for the carry bags. The policy is designed in such a manner that the customers had the option to refuse the carry bag in case they don’t want it and it is never foisted upon the customers.”

Central added, “ We follow such policy so that our business activity causes least environmental degradation. Central encourages its customers to carry their own bags, so that damage caused by new plastic/paper bag is minimised.”

Price arbitrarily imposed: District commission

Dismissing Central’s argument, district consumer commission, Mohali, said, “A person who buys articles from the shop like Central is expected to be provided with carry bag to carry those articles to his/her home or he/she should be allowed to bring his/her own carry bag inside the shop. The price of the carry bag was arbitrarily imposed upon the complainant.”

The order read, “Although the store has taken a plea in the written statement that it had displayed notice boards for charging of carry bags, no evidence is on the record about such notices.”