Fashion brand Lifestyle, one of the biggest clothing retail store chain in India, was left in a bind after it was asked to pay ₹3,000 in damages to a customer for charging him ₹7 for a paper bag without his knowledge.
The Delhi Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in a recent hearing asked Lifestyle to pay the ₹3,000 in damages to the man for charging him for a paper shopping bag without his knowledge in December 2020.
“The commission is of the opinion that OP (Lifestyle) cannot charge any amount for carry bags, particularly those items which have been purchased from the OP outlet itself and charging any amount from the consumers for that amounts to a deficiency of service on the part of the OP,” the commission said in its statement, reported The Indian Express.
The complainant – Anmol Malhotra – claimed that his shopping experience was tainted when he was charged for the paper bag without his knowledge. He further alleged that Lifestyle had imposed additional charges, causing him distress and inconvenience.
The DCDRC chose to focus on whether it should be allowed for corporations like Lifestyle to levy an extra charge from their customers for providing a carry bag without informing them beforehand.
Ever since plastic bags were banned in across India, several retail giants including Lifestyle started charging customers for paper carry bags as they were the more expensive alternative. However, the customers are often informed about the extra charges when they are at the billing counter.
Ruling in favour of the complainant, the commission said that Lifestyle should not be allowed to charge any customer for the paper bag without informing them beforehand.
The DCDRC said, “Such information at the time of making payment causes harassment to the customer and burdens him with additional cost and also affects his rights to make an informed decision to opt for a specific outlet or not.”
