Calling it exploitation of consumers, a district forum has held a high-end bag showroom at a Kurla mall guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for charging an additional Rs 20 for a carry bag. The Additional Mumbai District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed Esbeda to Reema Chawla, a resident of Wadala-based, for Rs 13,000 as compensation for causing mental agony and costs of the complaint Chawla will also receive a refund of Rs 20 she paid for the carry bag. Additionally, the forum also directed the showroom to pay Rs 25,000 towards the Consumer Welfare Fund.
The forum noted that to create publicity for itself, the company had given carry bags with its branding and name to customers and had even charged for it. The forum said it had exploited the customers. “When the customer comes to the shop to buy the goods, carry bags should be provided free of cost for carrying them. Charging extra for this amounts to unfair trade practice,” the forum said.
Chawla’s lawyer Prashant Nayak said that this is the first case in the city where a consumer forum has pronounced a company guilty for illegally charging for carrying a bag. Nayak submitted the complaint on January 24, 2020. The complaint said that on August 4, 2019, Chawla purchased an Esbeda bag for Rs 1.690.
The complaint said that the billing executive illegally charged Rs 20 for the carry bag. Nayak in his submission said that the seller is duty-bound to provide the basic accessory like carrying bags for carrying the products purchased from their store. He said it is highly unprofessional and deficient towards the consumers to charge for the bags which are branded and used by the company for advertisement purposes.
The company did not respond to the complaint before the forum and an ex parte order was passed.