E-Paper
Retail store penalised for charging ₹3 above MRP
Reliance Retail Limited at Bestech Square Mall had charged extra from three different customers; has been directed to pay ₹4,000 to each of them
The district consumer disputes redressal forum has held Reliance Retail Limited guilty of unfair trade practice for charging ₹3 above maximum retail price (MRP) from three different customers and directed it to pay ₹4,000 to each of them.
“Charging of excess amount is unfair trade practice,” observed the consumer forum while directing the Reliance Retail Limited, Bestech Square Mall, Phase 9, Mohali, to refund ₹3 each to the trio along with 6% interest.
One of the complainants Jaswinder Singh of Phase 6, Mohali, had purchased Super Max SII blades and other items for ₹294 on December 1, 2018.
He said he was charged ₹57 for the Super Max SII blades while the MRP mentioned on it was ₹54. Jaswinder said, when he objected, he was asked to leave the retail store and purchase the product from some other place.
Ramandeep Kaur of Phase 11, Mohali, and Indervir Singh of Phase 6 were also charged ₹3 more for the same item they purchased on November 4, 2018.
Countering the allegations of unfair trade practice, Reliance Retail Limited claimed the complaints were false and frivolous. They said that during billing, the computer captured the wrong value of the product due to a barcode error as a result of which excess amount was reflected in the bills. The retail store also said they were ready to refund the excess amount charged from the complainants but they refused to accept it.
Declining to buy the store’s claims, the consumer forum said, “This is not believable. Command of barcode remains in the hands of Reliance Retail Limited or its employees and it was on them to rectify the error at the earliest but the same was not done.”
“Ramandeep Kaur was overcharged on November 4, 2018, and the retail store did not rectify the barcode error even after 26 days when another consumer was overcharged for the same product,” the forum pointed out. “The story regarding the store offering the complainants to deduct the excess charged amount, is not believable at all,” the forum said.
