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Consumer court directs leading retail store to pay ₹7,000 compensation to customer
The retail store was asked to pay compensation after it charged ₹8 from the customer for a carry bag in addition to the cost of the purchased product
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered a retail company to pay ₹7,000 as compensation to a man for charging him ₹8 for a carry bag in addition to the cost of the purchased product.
The commission, headed by president Sanjeev Batra and member Monika Bhagat, announced the decision in favour of complainant, Inder Gupta, on Tuesday.
According to advocate Harsharanjit Kaur, who represented the prosecution, the incident took place on January 1, 2020, when Inder Gupta visited the Lifestyle store in MBD Mall on Ferozepur Road. He purchased a pair of trousers and a T-shirt for ₹4,407. However, at the time of billing, the cashier added an additional charge of ₹8 for the paper carry bag used to carry the purchased items.
The defendant, in its response, raised objections and claimed that the complaint was false, alleging that it was an attempt to defame their reputation. They argued that the complainant had been informed about the charge of the carry bag before the delivery of the products, and his consent was obtained.
Kaur argued that it was the seller’s responsibility to provide the carry bag to the customer free of charge. The complainant refused to pay for the bag, considering it the duty of the seller. It was alleged that the store officials misbehaved with the complainant when he protested against the charge. Consequently, the complainant filed a case against the retail store on January 24, 2020.
The complainant requested a refund of ₹8 charged for the carry bag along with compensation of ₹50,000 for the physical and mental pain and torture he had suffered, in addition to litigation expenses of ₹21,000.
Citing the case of Big Bazaar (Future Retail Limited) versus Ashok Kumar, the commission ruled that if a shopkeeper intends to deviate from the practice of providing free carry bags to customers, they must prominently notify the consumers in advance, allowing them to make an informed decision about patronising the retail outlet. Failing to provide such notice and disclosing the carry bag charge only at the payment counter was deemed unfair and deceptive, causing harassment and embarrassment to the consumer.
After considering the arguments from both sides, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered the retail company to refund the complainant ₹8 within 30 days. Additionally, a composite compensation of ₹7,000 has been awarded to the complainant.
