This is an archive article published on December 16, 2023
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Charged Rs 7 for paper carry bag without his knowledge, man granted Rs 3,000 damages by Delhi consumer court
The consumer court held that fashion brand Lifestyle couldn't have imposed additional charges on the carry bags without informing the customer first
Lifestyle had charged the customer for the paper bag since they were more expensive than plastic bags, which were banned by the government. (Representational/ File)
The Delhi Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (DCDRC) has recently directed fashion brand Lifestyle to pay a customer ₹3,000 for charging him ₹7 for a paper carry bag.
“The commission is of the opinion that OP (Lifestyle) cannot charge any amount for carry bags, particularly those items which have been purchased from the OP outlet itself and charging any amount from the consumers for that amounts to a deficiency of service on the part of the OP,” held the commission comprising president S S Malhotra and members Rashmi Bansal and Ravi Kumar on November 28.
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Complainant Anmol Malhotra claimed that he was charged ₹7 for a paper carry bag without his knowledge when he visited an outlet owned by Lifestyle in December 2020.
Malhotra also said that Lifestyle imposed the additional cost without prior notice, causing him distress and inconvenience.
The main issue before the commission was whether it was permissible to levy an extra charge on customers for providing carry bags without informing customers beforehand.
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Lifestyle had charged the customer for the paper bag since they were more expensive than plastic bags, which were banned by the government.
Favouring the complainant, the commission held that the fashion brand couldn’t have imposed additional charges on the carry bags without informing the customer first.
“Such information at the time of making payment causes harassment to the customer and burdens him with additional cost and also affects his rights to make an informed decision to opt for a specific outlet or not,” the commission held.
Lifestyle had charged the customer for the paper bag since they were more expensive than plastic bags, which were banned by the government. (Representational/ File) 
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