Esbeda store in Mumbai fined Rs 35000 for charging Rs 20 for carry-bag from customer
The premium leather accessories firm charging the consumer Rs 20 for advertisement was akin to exploitation, the court said.
FollowPremium leather accessories firm Esbeda was recently fined over Rs 35,000 after one of its stores charged Rs 20 for a carry bag over and above the price paid by a customer for an item bought from the outlet.
The Mumbai District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission handed out the fine based on the complaint filed by Reema Chawla, a resident of Mumbai's Wadala locality. Out of the Rs 35000, the court asked Esbeda to pay Rs 13,000 as a fine and deposit the remaining Rs 25,000 into the Consumer Welfare Fund of the consumer forum.
Chawla approached the Commission through her lawyer Prashant Nayak and claimed that the company had indulged in unfair trade practices by charging customers for carrying bags with their brand name. This, she claimed, was advertising at the consumer's cost.
Despite being served notice, the Esbeda store manager did not turn up before the consumer forum, following which the bench proceeded to decide the matter ex-parte.
Terming Esbeda's behaviour as highly unprofessional, Chawla's lawyer contended that the premium leather accessories firm is duty-bound to provide a basic accessory like carry-bag for products bought from their respective store.Â
The bench comprising chairman RG Wankhade and member SV Kalaal noted that the act of charging extra for a carry bag and not giving it free of cost despite the carry bag displaying the branding of the company for their publicity was an unfair trade practice.
The bench further said that the company charging the consumer Rs 20 for advertisement was akin to exploitation.
The court directed the store to refund the Rs 20 paid by Chawla for the carry bag. It also directed the store to pay her Rs 3,000 for litigation expenses and Rs 10,000 as compensation for the mental agony caused.
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