The Jalandhar Consumer Commission directed a restaurant to pay Rs 15,000 compensation to a lawyer after finding that a mandatory service charge of Rs 151.53 was added without consent. The forum held that such automatic charges amount to an unfair trade practice.
The Pathanamthitta Consumer Commission directed KSBC to compensate a customer for charging more than the printed MRP on a beer bottle. Holding the practice to be an unfair trade practice and deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, the Commission awarded refund, compensation, and costs totaling Rs 25,000.
A District Consumer Commission directed FirstCry to compensate a customer after finding that it arbitrarily cancelled an order, withheld payment, and labelled the customer a “fraud user” without inquiry or due process. The Commission ordered refund with interest and compensation for mental distress.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined China Gate Restaurant Private Limited Rs 50,000 for adding service charges by default at its Bora Bora outlets in Mumbai. The CCPA held the practice illegal and ordered the restaurant to change its billing system and ensure proper consumer grievance redressal.
The Mumbai Consumer Commission found Flipkart and Thomson TV guilty of selling a defective television and failing to address the customer’s complaints. The commission ruled that both companies are jointly responsible, ordering a full refund of Rs 13,999, compensation for mental distress, and covering litigation costs, collectively amounting to Rs 20,000.
A Bhopal restaurant was fined Rs 8,000 by the Consumer Forum for illegally charging Rs 1 GST on a water bottle priced at Rs 20. The forum ruled this as an unfair trade practice after a four-year legal dispute initiated by a customer who objected to the overcharge. Consumers are protected against such practices.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Lucknow ruled against Vishal Mega Mart for unfair trade practices after they charged a customer Rs. 18 for a carry bag without consent. The store must refund the amount, pay interest, and compensate the customer for harassment, highlighting the importance of customer approval in such charges.