Overcharged Rs 26, customer wins Rs 3,000 compensation from Maharashtra consumer court

Defending its pricing before the commission, the store management argued that the consumer was mistaken. They claimed the store was stocking two distinct batches of the same product simultaneously, each priced differently. One had a printed MRP of Rs 125 and was offered at a discounted rate of Rs 115, while the other had a printed MRP of Rs 99. The store asserted that the customer had picked up a bottle from the higher-priced batch and was therefore billed correctly.

Commission slams ‘deficiency in service’

The commission said the store had failed to provide any evidence that the specific batch sold to the consumer carried a higher MRP. It stated that the consumer had provided the total invoice for his purchase that day, amounting to Rs 1,573, confirming that he was indeed a customer at the store.

He also submitted a photograph of a bottle priced at Rs 99, but the store refused to accept it. Also, the store provided invoices from other dates surrounding the customer’s purchase, revealing that the same product had distinct prices of both Rs 99 and Rs 115 in separate batches.

The commission stated that the customer had a valid claim for a refund, as he provided a photograph showing that he had picked up a Rs 99 bottle but was charged for a more expensive one.

“The store failed to provide concrete evidence linking the item’s barcode to the higher price batch, establishing a clear deficiency in service,” the commission observed in its order dated May 11, made available this month. It directed that the store pay Rs 1,000 towards compensation and another Rs 2,000 towards litigation costs.