HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad-III District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here has directed a private furniture store to refund a sum of Rs 20,000 and pay Rs 30,000 in compensation to a customer for delivering inferior-quality products.
Dr S.Nagamani started an institution in the name and style of Learning Aids in Srinagar Colony to initiate tutoring programme in the field of medicine. On May 6, 2015 she approached Living Style Furniture at Nampally and placed an order for plastic chairs (Taiwan-made), table desks, visitors chair, etc worth Rs 1,96,750 and which they promised to deliver in 15 days. Later, Nagamani made some changes in the order and removed 15 table desks from the list. She paid Rs 46,000 as advance and was supposed to pay the remaining amount at the time of delivery.
Subsequently, the store delivered a part of the order and sought more time to deliver plastic chairs, saying they needed to be imported from Mumbai. On the same day, she paid another sum of Rs 70,000. A few days later, when Nagamani visited the furniture shop to see the imported chairs, she found to her shock that those chairs were of local make. She requested them to supply chairs as per the invoice or refund the amount paid by her.
Nagamani said she approached the Abids police and sought their assistance but was asked to approach consumer forum for proper remedy. On June 2 some men belonging to the store visited her premises and dumped 35 chairs. Alleging that Living Style Furniture adopted a totally unfair business practice right from the beginning depriving her of her legitimate rights, she approached the forum for compensation. The opposite party, Living Style Furniture, remained ex parte. During the trial, the bench said, “The complainant filed photographs to show that the opposite party had supplied material of inferior quality. The opposite party had not chosen to file written version. In absence of any rebuttal evidence, the contention of the complainant has to be accepted.”
The forum passed an order in favour of Nagamani and directed the opposite party to refund Rs 20,000 (excess amount that she paid), to take back the chairs that were dumped on her premises, to pay Rs 30,000 towards compensation and to pay Rs 2,000 towards costs.