CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL,2017-Finally the bill will become an Act?

New consumer protection bill ,2017 has been prepared by consumer affairs ministry and hopefully it will be introduced in the current monsoon session of  parliament.

Earlier a similar bill was drafted in 2015 by consumer affairs ministry which was then sent to standing committee which recommended some amendmemts.
The consumer affairs ministry accepted the recommendations and with total of around 80 amendment sent the bill to law ministry which advised the consumer affairs ministry to draft a whole new consumer protection bill.
As such new consumer protection bill,2017 has been drafted by ministry and is currently with the standing committee of food and consumer affairs.
Once the standing committee clears the bill it will then go to cabinet and finally after cabinet approves it the government can introduce the bill in Parliament.
The bill will replace the old consumer protection act,1986 and it will be a more comprehensive one.
The  consumer protection act,1986 is not meaningful in the current time for enforcing consumer rights and consumer protection.
As such need for a new consumer protection bill was felt and a new bill was drafted in 2015 and now in 2017.
The delay in new consumer protection act shows the government seriousness towards a important issue of consumer protection.
The new consumer protection bill really empowers the consumers and is a more comprehensive one covering vast and important areas.
The  new bill will provide  an efficient mechanism for redressal of consumer grievances,provide time bound justice,protect consumer against e-commerce malpractices, misleading advertisements,enforce consumer rights etc.
{To know the provisions of  the new consumer protection bill,please the other article from the search menu}.

CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL,2015-MAJOR CHANGES IN CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,1986

THE NEW CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL,2015 WILL REPLACE THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,1986.THE NEW CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL IS CURRENTLY PENDING IN PARLIAMENT FOR APPROVAL.

MAJOR CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,1986 AS IT WAS FELT THAT IN THE CURRENT DYNAMIC MARKET AND A FAST CHANGING ENVIRONMENT THE OLDER PROVISIONS OF THE ACT WILL NOT SERVE THE PURPOSE OF PROTECTING THE CONSUMERS AGAINST THE UNFAIR AND EXPLOITATIVE TRADE PRACTICES.

THE NEW BILL IS A MORE COMPREHENSIVE ONE AND ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PROVISION OF IT IS THAT IT PROVIDES FOR THE TIME  LIMIT IN WHICH THE CASE MUST BE DISPOSED OF BY THE FORUM.FURTHER NEW PROVISIONS ARE MORE CONSUMER FRIENDLY AND PROVIDES MORE POWER TO THE INNOCENT CONSUMERS.

THE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE NEW CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL,2015 ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

1. A new provision has been added which covers 'unfair contract'  that leads to loss to consumers.it is important because many times consumer are placed in unequal bargaining capacity by the service providers.Now a consumer can file complaint in consumer forum on the basis of unfair contract' provision.

2. An explanation has been added to clarify that the e-commerce transaction are covered within the consumer protection act.Further the provisions regarding e-commerce are very much comprehensive to include each and every unfair trade practice.

3. A provision of the new bill covers cases where a manufacturer or service providers deliberately withholds information that leads to loss  or damage to consumers.

4. It also provides for the online filing of cases.

5. The scope of product liability has been widened.

6.the definition of the manufacturer has been broadened in context of the provisions on product liability being added.

7.mediation provision-the forum will firstly try to mediate between the parties through a mediator so as to reach an acceptable settlement which will ensure faster and inexpensive justice to consumers.

8.if a seller refuses to give bill to the consumer,it will regarded as unfair practice as well.

9. A 'central consumer protection authority' would be created to protect the rights of consumers and to prevent exploitation of consumers.further regional offices of central authority would be created so that a consumer can approach the authority through these offices.the officers after receiving a complaint from a consumer needs to dispose of the complaint within a month.in case of delay action against the officer have also been proposed.

10. The jurisdiction of district forum and state forum have been widened.District forum can now entertain cases where the bill value of goods and services is upto 50 lacs.

11. The consumer can file complaint in district forum where he resides irrespective of the fact that the good or services were bought in other area.

12. The complainant or the opposite party will not be able to hire an advocate to fight their case until the value of goods and services exceeds rupees 2 lacs.However the complainant can hire an expert if the complaint requires technical expertise.This provision will benefit the complainant a lot as he/she will get inexpensive justice.The big companies or manufacturers will not be able to hire lawyers for smaller cases involving amount less than 2 lacs.

13. Time limit has been provided for the dispose of complaints by the commission to ensure speedy justice.The commission is required to dispose of complaint within 3 months and within 5 months if the case involves testing or analysis.

14.The district and state forum have been given the power to review their order if their was an error.

15. The state forum can entertain complaints on suo motu as well.

CAN Electronic Voting Machines BE HACKED OR TAMRED?

from time to time  questions on evms have been raised wheather it was in year 1982 when it was first used in elections or in 2017 assembly elections.leaders from all political parties have raised questions about the credibility of evms.

but with the recent assembly elections questions on the credibility of evms have come into limelight.

EVM has become a trending topic in the country and everyone wants to know can evms be really hacked or tampered or it is just a myth.

lets take a look at it-

--- one of the allegation on the evms is about  its functioning.because it is electronic,it can be easily hacked as there is nothing in the digital world which is 100%full proof against hacking.many countries in the world like netherlands,germany,italy have banned the use of evms because of above reason.

however in reply election commission of india maintains that evms in developed countries were used online and therefore were vulnerable of  getting hacked.in india evms operate differently and are not used online.

the indian evms consist of a "control unit" and a "balloting unit".the control unit is under the control of polling officer and he everytime clears the previous deck on the control unit so as to make sure that every vote is registered.the balloting unit is where a voter punches to cast his vote.


--- another allegation on evms is that the computer chips which controls the evms can be easily programmed to do manipulations.this allegation was made by satinath choudhary who is a retried professor of computer science and filed a PIL as well to block the use of evms.

the election commission is of the view that the program or software is burnt into masked chip or One Time Programmable so that it cannot be altered with.

also the evms is not networked by any wired or wireless system so there is no possibility of data corruption.

--- some people while questioning the credibility of evms argue that there can be procedural manipulations.

election commission rejects this claim on the basis of strong security system.

1. Every EVM has a corresponding identity number. This ID is cross-checked against the EC’s database when its being transported to and from the polling booth. They are guarded at all times by Central Forces.

2. From first level checks by engineers to the manufacturers in the presence of political parties’ representatives, to mock polls where at least 100 votes are cast by representatives of political parties on 5% of the EVMs randomly selected by them.

3. On the day of polling, such mock polls are repeated by casting 50 votes at every polling station, again, in the presence of political party representatives.

4. After polling is concluded, candidates and their representatives are allowed to put their own seals in the strong room. They are also allowed to keep a round the clock watch on the strong room.

IN 2010 A PIL WAS FILED IN SUPREME COURT  TO BLOCK THE USE OF EVMS ON THE BASIS THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO TAMPER EVMS.

ON THIS SUPREME COURT ASKED THE EC TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY TO INTRODUCE VOTER VERIFIED PAPER AUDIT TRAILS.

ELECTION COMMISSION IS PLANNING TO ROLL OUT  VVPAT IN EVERY BOOTH BY 2019 SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE CREDIBILITY OF EVMS.

FROM THE ANALYSIS OF THE ABOVE VIEWS,ONE MAY THINK THAT EVMS ARE SECURED ENOUGH TO PROVIDE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS.

BUT THE REALITY IS- IN THE TODAY'S DIGITAL WORLD  NOTHING IS SECURED AND  THEREFORE WE CANT  FULLY  TRUST EVMS AND THE NEED OF THE HOUR IS A HEALTHY DEBATE ON REINTRODUCING PAPER BALLOT  SYSTEM.

IF FULL PROOF EVMS COULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED THEN THE MOST  DEVELOPED NATION i.e THE U.S.A HAVE DEVELOPED IT ALREADY. BUT ITSELF USES PAPER BALLOT SYSTEM FOR COUNTING OF VOTES AND PARTIALLY USES EVMS.

TODAY WE TALK OF CYBER WARFARE AND EVEN THE HIGHLY SECURED CONFIDENTIAL FILES AND  SECURITY SYSTEMS OF EVERY COUNTRY IS  PRONE TO HACKING AND THEREFORE TO PROVIDE A 100%FULL PROOF EVM IS NOT POSSIBLE.

FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IS THE BASE OF DEMOCRACY AND AS SUCH EVERYTHING RELATED TO FREE AND FAIR ELECTION NEEDS TO BE HIGHLY DEBATED AND DISCUSSED SO THAT THE PURITY OF DEMOCRACY CAN BE MAINTAINED AND SUSTAINED.

CONSUMER RIGHTS-CONSUMER FORUM,CONSUMER COURT

Consumer Rights

Right to Safety

Means right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services, which are hazardous to life and property. The purchased goods and services availed of should not only meet their immediate needs, but also fulfill long term interests. Before purchasing, consumers should insist on the quality of the products as well as on the guarantee of the products and services. They should preferably purchase quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK, etc

Right to be Informed

Means right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices. Consumer should insist on getting all the information about the product or service before making a choice or a decision. This will enable him to act wisely and responsibly and also enable him to desist from falling prey to high pressure selling techniques.

Right to Choose

Means right to be assured, wherever possible of access to variety of goods and services at competitive price. In case of monopolies, it means right to be assured of satisfactory quality and service at a fair price. It also includes right to basic goods and services. This is because unrestricted right of the minority to choose can mean a denial for the majority of its fair share. This right can be better exercised in a competitive market where a variety of goods are available at competitive prices

Right to be Heard

Means that consumer's interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. It also includes right to be represented in various forums formed to consider the consumer's welfare. The Consumers should form non-political and non-commercial consumer organizations which can be given representation in various committees formed by the Government and other bodies in matters relating to consumers

Right to Seek Redressal

Means right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers. It also includes right to fair settlement of the genuine grievances of the consumer. Consumers must make complaint for their genuine grievances.Many a times their complaint may be of small value but its impact on the society as a whole may be very large. They can also take the help of consumer organisations in seeking redressal of their grievances.

Right to Consumer Education

Means the right to acquire the knowledge and skill to be an informed consumer throughout life.Ignorance of consumers, particularly of rural consumers, is mainly responsible for their exploitation. They should know their rights and must exercise them. Only then real consumer protection can be achieved with success.

SAMPLE OF COMPLAINT TO BE FILED IN CONSUMER FORUM

SHORTCUT- IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PREPARE THE FOLLOWING DRAFT,THEN THERE IS A SHORTCUT. JUST GO TO THE FORUM AND YOU WILL FIND  MANY TYPEWRITERS THERE,THEY WILL BE HAVING SAMPLE DRAFT IN THEIR COMPUTER. JUST FILL THE  DETAILS,TAKE THE PRINT OUT,ALSO GET THE AFFIDAVIT AS WELL,PAY HIM AND YOU ARE DONE.

                    
                                             

                                                             PAGE 1


        IN THE DISTRICT CONSUMER FORUM NO.(EG 1 OR 2 [city code] ),<CITY NAME >    


 CASE NO. -


YOUR NAME,SON OF..................,AGE-..,ADDRESS.............................................................,PIN CODE......

                                                                                                     (YOUR NAME) 
                                                                                                     COMPLAINANT                                                                                      

                                               
              
                                                                 V/S

COMPANY NAME(AGAINST YOU ARE FILING YOUR CASE),ADDRESS.................
PIN CODE-.........

                                                                                                         (NAME)
                                                                                              ..OPPOSITE PARTY



Complaint under Section 12/Section 17/Section 21 of the consumer protection Act.


                                                                 PAGE 2


RESPECTED SIR,

THE COMPLAINT IS PUT FORWARD BY THE COMPLAINANT IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER :-


                                    FACTS AND JURISDICTION OF COURT

1.YOUR NAME..,SON OF....,AGE-,ADDRESS....,IS A CONSUMER WHO HAS BEEN EXPLOITED BY UNLAWFUL TRADE PRACTICE AND FOR THE SAME I AM PUTTING MY COMPLAINT IN THE RESPECTED COURT

2.WHOLE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR COMPLAINT.NEED NOT TO BE FORMAL IN NATURE.YOU CAN WRITE IN AN INFORMAL MANNER AS WELL.THE DETAILS SHOULD BE CLEARLY PUT FORWARD.
NOTE-THE COMPLAINT SHOULD BE PRECISE AND BE SHORT IN NATURE. DONT WRITE LONG ESSAYS.



 ALSO READ :  PROCEDURE TO FILE A CASE IN CONSUMER FORUM, INDIA


 ALSO READ :    CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL,2017-MAJOR CHANGES IN CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,1986

                                                  IMPORTANT POINTS

1.IF I AM A CONSUMER IN FRONT OF THE LAW ?

answer-according to consumer protection act,1986 - A consumer is a person who buys or hires and goods or services for a consideration.
therefore you should write the definition first and then  tell  which good or service you have hired and from where which will show that you fit in the above definition of consumer in the eyes of the law.

2.is the company in question is liable to pay compensation for your loss ?

answer-according to consumer protection act,1986 any entity engaging in unlawful trade activities is liable to pay compensation to the consumer.here unlawful trade practiCe is defined as -a trade practice which, for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply of any goods or for the provision of any service, adopts any unfair method or unfair or deceptive practice.

NOTE-   you can further put important points of your case which supports your argument and prove that the company is question is responsible of your loss.further you can request court to ask the company in question to provide proofs if it is having monopoly over the information.just write in the question manner that if the company is liable for proofs (same as above)
and then answer that the company is having monopoly over the information,evidences as such they should be asked to provide the required document or something else.

  ALSO READ :    CONSUMER RIGHTS-CONSUMER FORUM,CONSUMER COURT



                                                                PAGE 3 

next you have to provide the evidences (photocopy, or something else) if any.

                                                                PAGE 4
 

                                                               PRAYER
FINALLY YOU HAVE TO REQUEST COURT HOW MUCH COMPENSATION YOU ARE DEMANDING FROM THE COMPANY IN QUESTION.REQUEST COURT TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTION  AGAINST THE COMPANY IN QUESTION.

PLACE-..
DATE-...

                                                                                          COMPLAINANT
                                                                                           YOUR NAME
                                                        

NOTE-    YOU SHOULD BE ASKING COMPENSATION IN THE FOLLOWING                            MANNER . 

Example-

  
      PHYSICAL HARASSMENT-RS 15000 OR ANY AMOUNT YOU WANT
      MENTAL HARASSMENT- RS 20000 """""
     LEGAL ADVICE- RS 2000    """""""
     ANY OTHER POINT YOU WANT


                                                            PAGE 5

YOU NEED TO PROVIDE AN AFFIDAVIT.YOU CAN GET THE AFFIDAVIT FROM A TYPEWRITER.JUST TELL HIM YOU NEED AN AFFIDAVIT WHICH IS SUBMITTED IN THE CONSUMER FORUM.

MOST IMPORTANT POINT WHICH NO ONE WILL TELL - IF YOU CANT DO THE ABOVE JUST GO TO THE COURT AND FIND THE TYPEWRITER WHO IS HAVING THE SAMPLE DRAFT .JUST FILL THE DETAILS AND TAKE THE PRINT OUT. THAT'S ALL ( SIMPLE AND CLEAR ).

PROCEDURE TO FILE A CASE IN CONSUMER FORUM, INDIA

THE PROCEDURE TO FILE A COMPLAINT IN CONSUMER FORUM IS AS FOLLOWS:-

Firstly,you have to identify the jurisdiction of the forum where the complaint is to be filed.

  

Jurisdiction of the District Forum:-

(1) according to the consumer tights act,1986, the District Forum shall have jurisdiction to entertain complaints where the value of the goods or services and the compensation, if any, claimed ''does not exceed rupees twenty lakhs. 

(2)   A complaint shall be instituted in a District Forum within the local limits of whose jurisdiction:-

(a) the opposite party or each of the opposite parties,where there are more than one, at the time of the institution of the complaint, actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or has a branch office or personally works for gain, or

(b) any of the opposite parties, where there are more than one, at the time of the institution of the complaint, actually and voluntarily resides, or carries on business or has a branch office, or personally works for gain, provided that in such case either the permission of the district forum is given, or the opposite parties who do not reside, or carry on business or have a branch office, or personally work for gain, as the case may be,acquiesce in such institution; or

(c) the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises

Also the case needs to be filed within 2 years from the date of cause of action.In case of delay,you have to explain the reasons for delay and ask for pardon from the tribunal which may be granted by the tribunal.

Then the next step is to prepare the draft.In another post you can fine the sample draft complaint.
In the draft you have to explain the whole cause of action and provide proofs,evidences,facts and other things which strengthens your argument.
Even if u have not any required proof,documents you can request the court to make the opposite part liable for proof if they are having monopoly regarding facts,document etc.

In the complaint you should ask for compensation and other relief which you want from the court.
Every page of the complaint must have your signature.Please sign every page of the complaint.

Along with the complaint an affidavit,2 envelopes, a stamp ticket(rs.100 if filing a case in district forum) and consumer court form need to be submitted as well.
you can get all these in the court itself.

The complaint needs to be filed on green paper along with a copy.You should also keep 1 copy for yourself.in total there will be 3 copies of complaint draft.

Last step- go to consumer court and file your case. That's it.

 Procedure on admission of complaint. —

   (1)  The District Forum shall, on admission of a complaint, if it relates to any goods,-

(a)     refer a copy of the admitted complaint, within twenty-one days from the date of its admission to the opposite party mentioned in the complaint directing him to give his version of the case within a period of thirty days or such extended period not exceeding fifteen days as may be granted by the District Forum;

(b)      where the opposite party on receipt of a complaint referred to him under clause (a) denies or disputes the allegations contained in the complaint, or omits or fails to take any action to represent his case within the time given by the District Forum, the District Forum shall proceed to settle the consumer dispute in the manner specified in clauses (c) to (g);

(c)     where the complaint alleges a defect in the goods which cannot be determined without proper analysis or test of the goods, the District Forum shall obtain a sample of the goods from the complainant, seal it and authenticate it in the manner prescribed and refer the sample so sealed to the appropriate laboratory along with a direction that such laboratory make an analysis or test, whichever may be necessary, with a view to finding out whether such goods suffer from any defect alleged in the complaint or from any other defect and to report its findings thereon to the District Forum within a period of forty-five days of the receipt of the reference or within such extended period as may be granted by the District Forum;

(d)    before any sample of the goods is referred to any appropriate laboratory under clause (c), the District Forum may require the complainant to deposit to the credit of the Forum such fees as may be specified, for payment to the appropriate laboratory for carry­ing out the necessary analysis or test in relation to the goods in question;

(e)     the District Forum shall remit the amount deposited to its credit under clause (d) to the appropriate laboratory to enable it to carry out the analysis or test mentioned in clause (c) and on receipt of the report from the appropriate laboratory, the District Forum shall forward a copy of the report along with such remarks as the District Forum may feel appropriate to the opposite party;

(f)     if any of the parties disputes the correctness of the findings of the appropriate laboratory, or disputes the correctness of the meth­ods of analysis or test adopted by the appropriate laboratory, the District Forum shall require the opposite party or the complain­ant to submit in writing his objections in regard to the report made by the appropriate laboratory;

(g)     the District Forum shall thereafter give a reasonable opportunity to the complainant as well as the opposite party of being heard as to the correctness or otherwise of the report made by the appro­priate laboratory and also as to the objection made in relation thereto under clause (/) and issue an appropriate order under section 14. 

IMPORTANT POINT:-

AFTER YOU HAVE FILED A CASE.YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE WRITTEN ARGUMENT,AFFIDAVIT AND SOMETHING LIKE THAT.THE TYPEWRITERS IN THE COURT HAVE A SAMPLE FORMAT OF THESE.JUST FILL YOUR DETAILS AND GET THE PRINT OUT.

FRAUD CALLS-CONSUMER AWARENESS

Hey guys i am back with another topic and this time around the topic is fraud calls and i will shed some light on the topic(as my readers requested me to discuss  this topic).
In the present time this is one of the most growing fraud and the innocent people are becoming victims of it on a large scale.
So it is necessary as an individual to be awared about such frauds.
So basically what happens in it is an individual gets a call from an unknown number and is told that a case has been registered against him in so and so court by so and so company and may get arrested by police and ask for money to settle the case.
what makes an individual to believe in all this crap is because of the personal information that they tell on the phone.
so guys let me tell you one thing in today's world where we are registered on so many institutions such as bank,mobile operator, colleges, coaching centre etc.it is not that difficult to get the personal information.
These fraud people have contacts with the people working in the mobile operator customer care center and get information from these center's only.
even the telecom operators use such tactics to get the bills paid by you which you were not paying.a customer care executive calls you and tells you that the company has registered a case against you because of the bills which you have not paid and ask you to pay the bill if you want the company to take the case back.you just fall in their trap and you rush to their office to pay the bill.these are the tactics which they use to get the bills paid by the customers. 
If in reality a case has been registered against you then you will get a legal notice from the court only and without the notice no one can even touch you (even the police), so use your mind and don't fall in such traps.
People also get fraud calls from the banks and are asked to give bank details,pin and other things.
know one thing banks never ask bank details or credit card details on phone calls.
People also get calls,sms or emails and are are told that you have won a so called lottery and to claim the lottery prize you have to pay a certain amount.guys please just use your mind and don't get fooled by such craps.
apart from the fraud calls online scam is another major issue,be double sure before giving your bank details on any website.
these are a just handful of examples but in reality there are many types of fraud and these fraudsters are finding new ways everyday to fool us.we have to be much smarter than them so that we can beat them in their game only.

Be awared! Be smart! Be mindful!

INTERESTING CASES-CONSUMER FORUM/CONSUMER COURT

"forum fines a restaurant rs 17000 for overcharging a customer"

Overcharging a customer nearly Rs 20 has cost an oriental restaurant dear as the consumer court has ordered it to pay compensation of Rs 17,000.Coming down heavily on the restaurant, the forum said, “Who knows how many innocent customers are forced to pay extra service in this manner”. The forum asked the restaurant to refund the excess amount along with compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 7,000 as cost of litigation.

"Possession delay, Consumer forum slaps Rs 1-lakh fine on Unitech"

Taking money in advance from a consumer, despite not having requisite permission for a project has cost a well-known builder company as they have been asked to shell out a sum of Rs 1 lakh as compensation by the consumer courts. The builders Unitech Limited have also been asked to refund Rs 13 lakh taken from the complainants and pay Rs 10,000 as cost of litigation.The consumer courts observed, “We feel that the actions of the opposite party in taking advance money from innocent consumers like the complainants for their proposed project, despite the fact that they were not having permission for the same, clearly points out towards unfair trade practice on their part.”

"Institute fined Rs 50,000 for false promise of job"

A resident of Mohali won a consumer case against an institute which had promised 99 per cent job guarantee. District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum I ruled that the institute was liable to refund the fee along with compensation amount of Rs 50,000 and a sum or Rs 2,500 as litigation charges.

"‘Consumer courts can settle cases against telecom operators’"

In a significant judgment,the Chandigarh Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has said cases against telecom service providers can be adjudicated in consumer courts and it is not essential for the complainant to go through the lengthy arbitration process.

"Disconnection error: Telecom firm told to compensate customer"

The district consumer forum has directed Reliance Telecommunications to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation for causing mental agony,harassment and loss of reputation to a customer whose telephone was illegally disconnected by the company.

"Bag lost in transit,Spice Jet to compensate"

The District Consumer Disputes Redresal Forum has directed Spice Jet Airlines to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for mental agony caused to a passenger whose baggage was lost in transit. The airline has also been directed to pay Rs 3,000 as cost of the bag in addition to Rs 5,000 as litigation charges.

"Sell Rs 12 water bottles at same price everywhere,rules consumer commission"

Rupees 12 and no more. That’s the State Consumer Commission’s directions to manufacturers on the price of branded one-litre mineral water bottles,often sold for a bomb in many outlets,especially inside theatres,food courts,malls and such places.

The Commission has also directed retailers and other concerned authorities,including the Weights and Measures Department,to not sell mineral water bottles at a price higher than that in the open market.
“A product like mineral water cannot be sold at a price higher than what is ordinarily charged in the relevant market.

"Insurance firm delays claim,to pay up"

  

The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company to pay Rs 3,66,157 as insurance claim towards a Scorpio car which was damaged in an accident and another Rs 2,200 as litigation costs.

"Follow orders in time or go to jail: consumer panel"

The Delhi Consumer Commission has sounded an alert by ruling that violators taking a consumer court’s order casually would invite penal consequences,including jail terms,if they failed to comply with the directives within the time allotted.

"Man loses hair after applying oil, firm asked to give compensation"

The consumer court has now asked the company to give a compensation of Rs 25,000 to the complainant and refund Rs 4,800 which was the cost of the hair oil.

Consumer forum directs software company to pay 7.1 lakh to private university

CHENNAI: A consumer forum here has directed a multinational software company to refund 7.10 lakh for cancelling an academic technology programme in a private technical university.