Ludhiana | Charging ₹4 for carry bag costs supermarket dear

The supermarket in Ludhiana has been asked to pay the complainant ₹1,000 as compensation, and refund the ₹4 for the carry bag with 6% interest

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has asked the Easyday supermarket in Rishi Nagar to refund ₹4, which they had charged the complainant for a carry bag, and pay ₹1,000 as compensation.

The commission pronounced that supermarket in Ludhiana shall pay back ₹4 to the complainant along with 6% per annum interset from the date of filing the complaint till the date of actual payment (Representative Image/HT File)

In his complaint, Manu Kumar of Rishi Nagar, had accused Easyday of “unfair trade practices” and “deficiency in service.” On May 15, 2019, Kumar had purchased three articles from the outlet, which cost ₹120. However, the respondent, Easyday, charged him ₹4 for a carry bag that he never asked for. The complainant sought a refund, ₹15,000 compensation, and ₹15,000 as litigation expense.

The respondent resisted the same and sought dismissal of he complaint contending that the complainant was informed at the cashier’s counter that in the event of him asking for a new carry bag for purchases from the store, he would have to pay ₹4, as the practice encouraged customers to bring their own bags, and reduced plastic waste.

“The complainant has made a false plea that the price of the carry bag was added to the price of the articles purchased by him without his consent,” said the respondent.

The commission observed, “The complainant was made to pay a sum of ₹4 towards the cost of the bag after he had collected the goods for purchase, which could not be otherwise carried without a carry bag. It was not brought to the notice of the complainant by way of a prominent notice at the entrance or elsewhere in the store that he would have to pay the additional cost of the carry bag. Therefore, this amounts to unfair trade practice on the part of the opposite party”.

The commission pronounced that Easyday shall pay back ₹4 to the complainant along with 6% per annum interset from the date of filing the complaint till the date of actual payment. “It shall further pay a sum of ₹1,000 as composite cost to the complainant”, reads the order.