CHENNAI: A city consumer forum has directed a packers & movers company to pay a customer Rs 50,000 for delivering his goods from Chennai at Madurai, instead of at Theni, as requested by him.
The complainant, T Prabhaharan of Selaiyur, approached Anand Packers & Movers at Choolaimedu on May 11, 2017 to transport his television, washing machine, wooden cots and other household items from Chennai to Theni. He paid Rs 16,000 for his goods to be transported in a separate vehicle and booked his articles on May 12 to be delivered the next morning at Theni.
On May 13, the company informed Prabhaharan that the vehicle was still at Ulundurpet and would reach the destination only in the evening. Even two days after that, he said the goods had not arrived. On May 16, he contacted the opposite parties’s Madurai representative, Ramachandran, who informed him that a part of the consignment had reached.
He left for Madurai and complained to police. He allegedly found that his goods were lying in a ‘haphazard manner’ and also that some of the articles had been damaged. “The goods were delivered only at Madurai and not Theni,” the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North) presided over by President, K Jayabalan said on May 7. “Further photographs proved the goods transported were damaged by the opposite party. However, the value of damage to the goods are not stated. Hence, for such a negligent act and deficiency in service, it would be appropriate to direct opposite party to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation.”
At this point, he arranged transport for Rs 4,000 to make sure the goods was taken to Theni. He claimed that he had also spent Rs 3,500 on fuel, food and so on. Prabhaharan prayed the forum to grant a refund of Rs 23,500 towards the cost of transporting from Chennai to Madurai and later from Madurai to Theni. The forum, however, dismissed this.
“The complainant paid a sum of Rs 16,000 towards transport of the goods from Chennai to Theni. Hence, the said transport charges cannot be refunded,” the forum said. “However, the complainant spent a sum of Rs 1,800 for fuel and for food totally claimed a sum of Rs 3,500 can be ordered to be paid by the opposite party. The opposite party was called absent and was set ex-parte.