Driving licence sent to US ‘untraceable’, Punjab family wins compensation

Driving licence gone untraceable

The complainants stated that they approached the opposite party’s courier services to send an original driving licence to the United States. It was stated that they paid Rs 2,502 for the shipment after being assured that the document would be delivered by December 27, 2021. However, the consignment was allegedly not delivered within the promised period. On December 31, 2021, the courier firm’s staff allegedly informed the complainants that the parcel was not traceable.

The complainants said that as the licence was urgently required, a duplicate driving licence was applied for on January 1, 2022 by paying 31 US dollars, equivalent to Rs 2,849 at the prevailing exchange rate. The complainants later issued a legal notice to the courier company but received no response, leading them to approach the consumer commission.

In its defence, the courier company argued that its liability was limited to Rs 100 because the consignment had not been insured and relied on terms and conditions printed on the consignment note. It also denied giving any assurance regarding delivery by December 27, 2021.

The commission rejected the argument that liability was restricted to Rs 100, observing that it was incumbent upon the courier company to make the sender aware of such limitations at the time of booking the consignment. “The contention of the OPs that their liability is restricted to Rs 100 as the complaint has not insured the parcel/consignment as per the policy of the company. However, this contention is rejected as it was incumbent upon the OPs to make complainant No 1 aware about the same, at the time of booking of the consignment,” the commission said.

The commission partly allowed the complaint and directed the courier company to pay Rs 5,351, comprising the courier charges and the cost of obtaining the duplicate licence, along with interest at 6 per cent per annum from January 1, 2022, until payment. It further awarded Rs 15,000 towards mental agony, harassment and litigation expenses.

Takeaway

Service providers cannot escape liability for lost consignments by relying on fine-print clauses that limit compensation, especially when consumers were not clearly informed of those conditions at the time of booking. If a courier company fails to deliver or trace an important document entrusted to it, resulting in additional expenses and inconvenience to the consumer, it can be held liable.

For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Punjab: 0800-22577) and Union territories or call the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.