BENGALURU: When the pretty pink colour of her new silk saree started running in the rain, Suman Kotnala decided to drag the shop that sold it to her to the consumer court.
She had purchased the saree for Rs 3,350 at SM Silks. After the rain left white patches in the faded item of clothing, she went back to the store to request a replacement or compensation.
The staff at SM Silks allegedly said it was a manufacturing defect and refused to replace the ruined saree. “Moreover, they were very rude. So we decided to fight legally,” said Kotnala, Suman’s husband and assistant engineer, Ministry of Defence. He presented the case at the court.
“It was a one-sided case,” he said, “No one from the business establishment attended the hearings. Not even after the court sent them a notice.”
The couple walked from pillar to post for over six months, trying to get compensation, and were put through much humiliation.
Finally, on April 12, they won the case with the defendants not turning up.
The court had ordered the shop to provide the complainant a compensation of Rs 3,350 (for the sari)+ Rs 3,000 (for mental agony, inconvenience and deficiency in service) + Rs 2,500 (the cost of the litigation).
“It was hard to deal with the stress of fighting the case while also carrying on with my practice. We had not hired a lawyer,” said Kotnala.
It has been a month and they are yet to hear from the shop. The couple has decided to send the showroom a notice through their family friend and lawyer, Nagaraj, as the case is proving to be a costly affair.
“We will continue to fight for what we deserve. It is not just about the cost of the sari. It is about the insult we were subject to. We want the brand to be penalised for cheating its customers,” he said.
