The Man Sued Reliance Retail Who Charged Him Rs. 24.9, Won Refund; The Court Says It Has Unfair Trade Practices

The Man Sued Reliance Retail Who Charged Him Rs. 24.9, Won Refund; The Court Says It Has Unfair Trade Practices

November 25, 2022: In a case that was analyzed for nearly four months, a Bengaluru court has ruled that Reliance Retail Limited collected Rs. 24.9 Refunds.

Reliance Retail to pay Ravikiran his court costs of Rs. 5,000 and another Rs. 2,000 was also asked to pay compensation.

A Bengaluru resident recently won a case against India’s largest retailer Reliance Retail after he was forced to pay Rs 24.9 for a carry bag after buying items worth over Rs 2,000.

Ravikiran, 34, won a case against Reliance Retail in which the retailer was fined Rs. 7,000 had to be paid.

On July 10 this year, Ravikiran made an unplanned visit to the Reliance Smart Point at Nandini Layout while returning from the temple along with his wife.

The couple spent around Rs. 2,007 worth of groceries and other household items, however, the salesperson at the billing counter charged them Rs. They were shocked when asked to pay 24.9.

The 34-year-old, who is an advocate himself, presented the legal aspects based on consumer rights and argued against paying for the carry bag but was eventually paid Rs.

Forced to buy a bag of 24.9 because he had to take luggage home. Ravikiran, however, knocked on the door of the Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and filed a complaint against Reliance Retail Limited and the manager of the Reliance Smart Point outlet for unfair trade practices.

The advocate presented the case for himself in the trial which began on July 16. A legal notice was served on Reliance, however, the retail major failed to appear, prompting the court to declare it a party.

During the hearing, customer Ravikiran made a case for free carry bags as an intrinsic part of customer satisfaction criteria for shopping malls.

Further, it is a measure under the Consumer Protection Act, he said, adding that retailers should not always expect customers to carry bags with them.

Ravikiran argued that retail stores are obliged to provide carry bags when shopping is done. The aggrieved customer also said that retailers are trying to take advantage of the ban on plastic bags and charging shoppers for carry bags to make money from it.

This is nothing but unfair business practices and equates to a lack of service. Ravikiran called it a clear violation of consumer rights and in the case of Reliance, he said carry bags with their logo are sold to the consumer and they get publicity without spending a single rupee.

The case was analyzed for nearly four months and the judges of the consumer forum came down heavily on Reliance Retail for not appearing before them despite the notice.

It was indeed an unfair trade practice not to provide customers with free carry bags for their purchases while shoppers were sometimes not even allowed to bring in bags from outside, they noted.

The court held that retail stores have a duty to display messages requiring customers to purchase bags, which the outlet in question failed to do.

The customer has the right to know that there will be an additional cost for the carry bag before selecting the goods for purchase.

The judgment in the case was announced on November 4 in which the city’s consumer court ruled that Reliance Retail Limited collected Rs. 24.9 Must be refunded.

Reliance Retail to pay Ravikiran his court costs of Rs. 5,000 and another Rs. 2,000 was also asked to pay compensation. The opposite party was asked to comply with the order within 60 days.

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