BENGALURU: A consumer forum in the city directed TaxiForSure to pay compensation and litigation cost to a resident of Yeshwantpur for forcing him to wait at midnight by the road and not sending a cab.
Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum comprising President P V Singri, Members Yashodhamma and P K Shantha ordered the Manager, TaxiForSure, J P Nagar, to pay a compensation of `10,000 and litigation cost of `2,000 to B H Kiran, a resident of B K Nagar, Yeshwantpur. “We do not find any reason to disbelieve the allegations made by the complainant... The conduct of TaxiForSure amounts to deficiency of service and also gross negligence. So, we are of the opinion that TaxiForSure is liable to pay compensation to the complainant for the hardship, inconvenience and mental agony suffered by the complainant for the deficiency of service. The complainant is also entitled to the cost of proceedings,” the forum said.
According to the petition, Kiran had booked a taxi for two days - February 8 and 9, 2015, through e-mail and the booking was confirmed. He and his family members had to reach BHEL Extention in Rajarajeshwari Nagar to attend a function.
An Indica car was sent at 4.30 pm on February 8 to pick Kiran and his family members up from their house to Rajarajeshwari Nagar. After the function, Kiran informed TaxiForSure to send a vehicle between 10 and 10.30 pm on the same day, but they did not send the vehicle. Whenever Kiran called, he was told that a vehicle would reach in 10 minutes. Finally they had to wait by the road and did not get any transport.
Kiran asked TaxiForSure to send a vehicle and said he was willing to pay more as his aged parents and his wife were waiting. It was only around 12 am that TaxiForSure expressed its inability to send the vehicle.
On February 9, TaxiForSure sent a mail apologising for the failure to arrange a vehicle. But Kiran asked that he be compensated in terms of money and issued them a legal notice. TaxiForSure neither complied with the demand nor did it reply.
Then Kiran approached the consumer forum under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Despite the notice, the manager of TaxiForSure failed to appear and contest Kiran’s claim.
The offence
Man books cab at 10.30 pm with TaxiForSure and waits for it
Cab aggregator says cab will come and makes him and family wait for hours
At midnight, the company tells him there are no cabs and apologises