Key Takeaways
- A consumer court in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fined a famous clothing brand Rs. 50,000 for charging a customer for a promotional shopping bag.
- The complainant, Shafaq Aamir, filed a case under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumers Protection Act, 1997.
- The court ruled that the practice amounted to an unfair trade practice and ordered the brand to refund Rs. 30 and pay Rs. 25,000 in compensation.
A consumer court in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered a well-known clothing brand to refund Rs. 30 charged to a customer for a shopping bag and pay a total of Rs. 50,000 in compensation and fines.
The case was filed by Shafaq Aamir, who challenged the company’s decision to charge her for a shopping bag displaying the company’s logo.
Ahsan Sardar represented the complainant, while Mohammad Omea Advocate appeared on behalf of the respondents.
The clothing brand did not deny charging Rs. 30 for the bag but argued that it was not legally required to provide shopping bags free of cost and maintained that the bags were optional and provided only when requested by customers.
The court examined the matter under Section 14(2)(b) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumers Protection Act, 1997.
The court noted that the receipt submitted with the complaint clearly showed that the customer had been charged an additional Rs. 30 for the shopping bag.
It further observed that the bag carried the company’s logo and therefore also served a promotional purpose.
The court ruled that the practice, in the circumstances of the case, amounted to an unfair trade practice under Section 2(O)(xii)(xiii) of the Act.
The court directed the clothing brand to refund the Rs. 30 charged for the bag and pay Rs. 25,000 in compensation to the complainant.
Additionally, the court imposed a separate fine of Rs. 25,000, which is to be paid to the government.
