For selling inferior diamond jewellery and failing to honour the buyback policy, the district consumer disputes redressal forum SAS Nagar has directed Zirakpur-based Aishwarya Jewellers to pay `50,000 as compensation to a complainant.
The jeweller had sold the jewellery under the monthly kitty scheme. Holding Aishwarya Jewellers guilty of unfair trade practices, the forum told it to refund of `38,481, which is the cost of the diamond tops, along with 9% interest, apart from paying `20,000 as compensation to Chandan Bala Sinha, a Zirakpur resident.
Sinha said she had joined Aishwarya kitty plan in January 2013, in the name of her minor daughter and started paying `2,000 per month. In the August 2013 lucky draw the complainant won diamond jewellery worth `30,000. The complainant selected a pair of diamond tops priced at `38,100 and paid `8,481 to claim them.
Sinha alleged that the tops broke within a few days of purchase, despite the jeweller claiming them 100% Hallmark-certified. Sinha and some other members who were successful in previous lucky draws raised questions about the quality of the jewellery and sought refund of their amount.
The jeweller stopped the kitty and refused to refund the amount. Sinha got the diamond jewellery checked from a government-approved valuer Surya Kant Jain, Sector 22, Chandigarh, who vide certificate dated November 30, 2013, informed that the value of the diamond tops was only `9,017.
{{/usCountry}}The jeweller stopped the kitty and refused to refund the amount. Sinha got the diamond jewellery checked from a government-approved valuer Surya Kant Jain, Sector 22, Chandigarh, who vide certificate dated November 30, 2013, informed that the value of the diamond tops was only `9,017.
{{/usCountry}}Denying deficiency in services, Aishwarya Jewellers said the complainant has no locus standi and the complainant has not approached the forum with clean hands as the present complaint is counter blast to the civil suit filed by the jeweller against the complainant.
The jeweller said the complainant had demanded gold jewellery even when there was no provision for gold jewellery. They alleged it was due to improper handling and care that the diamond tops broke within five days.
However, the forum didn’t buy the defence of the jeweller and asked it to refund the amount to the complainant.