Rajesh moved the State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, asking for higher compensation as ₹4008 was too low and that he had spent ₹500 on sample testing itself. The consumer forum passed an order in favour of Rajesh Rajan and directed the company to pay a total of ₹4008 (₹4000 for compensation and ₹8 for the Pepsi he purchased). He demanded compensation of ₹5 lakh for the same. Moreover, he claimed that there was a deficiency in service that could have caused a health hazard to him. He sent a legal notice to the company immediately and approached a Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum. Imagine you bought a bottle of Pepsi and found a packet of gutka floating in it! It happened to Rajesh Rajan from Ahmedabad when he bought Pepsi from a local store. And even big companies and government entities like the State Bank of India can be made to answer for their mistakes. It doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you have a valid case you can approach the Consumer Forum. The forum ruled in his favour and ordered the State Bank of India to return the ₹9,200 with 6% interest, pay ₹10,000 as compensation for mental anguish caused by the issue, and ₹2,000 for legal expenses. He couldn’t afford a lawyer and he argued the case himself! Court Decision So, he went to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum with his grievance. When he asked the bank authorities they blamed it on him. On his next visit to the ATM, however, he realised all his money was gone. He had ₹20,000 in his State Bank of India account and had withdrawn ₹10,800. You Don’t Have to Be a Celebrity to Win a Consumer CaseĪ humble tea vendor, Rajesh Sakre, is an example of this. They cannot hide behind ‘technical difficulties’ or ‘ force majeure ’ and let customers suffer for it. We trust them with our money and they must perform the services we were promised. Key Takeawayīanks are like any other service provider.
The court found that there was a deficiency of service on the part of Axis Bank and directed the bank to pay a compensation of ₹5 lakh and ₹5000 as expenses. The bank said the incident was a case of ‘ Force Majeure’ (an act of god/ something beyond control)Īpart from that, the bank had also returned a cheque of ₹1 lakh issued to her by the government of India and blamed it on a technical error.ĭipika moved the consumer court in Chennai against Axis Bank Court Decision Due to this, she faced a loss of reputation and humiliation. She had had 10 times the bill amount in her account at that time. Have you ever had your transaction fail due to the server being down or other errors?ĭipika Pallikal, a squash champion and Arjuna awardee found herself in an awkward situation when she used her Axis Bank Debit Card in a hotel at Netherlands’ Rotterdam failed. More than ever, most of our transactions are digital and heavily reliant on banks for these. Banks Can’t Always Escape Using ‘Technical Difficulties’ So, here are 10 interesting consumer court cases curated for you. But have you ever wondered who goes to these courts and what types of cases are filed? You would be surprised to know how basic these cases can be. Many know there exist consumer courts and laws that protect consumers for such instances. But sometimes, companies might fail to provide quality services or products. From our basic necessities like food and clothing to services like banking and education, we are dependent on companies and organisations to live comfortably in the present day, and we give them our hard-earned money in return. On an everyday basis, we purchase products and services. We know consumer laws and courts exist, but only by reading through some case law can you understand how you as a consumer can exercise your rights!