Chandigarh Store fined for charging for Carry Bag.

In this post we will discuss about an order on Chandigarh Consumer Forum in which it fined Miniso Store for charging for carry bag.

ELANTE STORE FINED FOR CHARGING FOR CARRYING BAG

Carry Bag Consumer Court Case Chandigarh Panchkula Mohali
Carry Bag Consumer Court Case Chandigarh Panchkula Mohali

Not for the first time a store has been fined for charging for carrying bag. Consumer forums often come across these issues which though may appear to be petty but again highlight the importance of the fact that any unfair practice or restrictive practice at any level is intolerable. Consumer rights need definite protection from every form of exploitation and therefore should have remedies at their disposal.

This time miniso a store at elante mall Chandigarh was dragged to consumer forum by the complainant Ashima Dutt. The complainant is a resident of sector 21 Chandigarh. She purchased goods worth Rs 670. When the invoice was handed over to her it came to her knowledge that she had been charged Rs 10 separately for the carrying bag in addition to her purchase of Rs 670. The complainant objected to the amount charged for carrying bag and further asked the store to refund the amount of paper bag. She approached the consumer forum, claiming that the store had committed deficiency in service and also that they indulge into unfair trade practice by charging for carrying bag.

ALSO READ- CONSUMER COMPLAINT AGAINST CHANDIGARH CLUB ON MONTHLY FEE

The store in its written statement admitted that the complainant purchased goods worth Rs 670 and further asserted that the complainant had bought carrying bag on her own wish and was neither forced nor pressurized to buy the carrying bag. The forum decided against the store’s assertion and asked the store to pay up.

In August 2020, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, UT, had directed Reliance Retail Ltd, Elante Mall, to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 to a city resident for charging for a carry bag. The complaint was made in similar respect by Mohit Gupta, a resident of sector 30-A, Chandigarh. Who claimed that he made a purchase from reliance store at elante mall and he was charged Rs 5 for carrying bag, which was an unfair trade practice. The store management tried to justify the event stating that the carrying bag was charged only after the consent of the same. But the argument failed to impress the forum and therefore the forum ordered that the store had miserably failed to produce on record any cogent, convincing and reliable piece of evidence in the shape of any rules/instructions authorising it to levy charge additionally for the carry bag from the gullible consumers.

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The store was directed to pay Rs 1,000 and refund Rs5 wrongly charged for the carry bag to the complainant. It was also directed to pay Rs500 as litigation expenses towards compensation for harassment and mental agony.

The court also stated that the complainant was informed about the purchase of the carrying bag before transaction was made and still it amounts to unfair trade practice and deficiency in service since it would be very inconvenient to carry the purchased articles by hand throughout without a carry bag. Considering the entirety, charging for such things cannot be foisted upon the consumers and would definitely amount to overcharging.

ALSO READ- CONSUMER COMPLAINT AGAINST CHANDIGARH CLUB ON MONTHLY FEE

This post is written by Abhishek Pathak

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