The District Consumer Redressal Commission (North) has directed a Tasmac salesman in Madhavaram to pay a penalty for charging ₹10 above the maximum retail price (MRP) on a liquor bottle.
The order came after G. Devarajan, a resident of Sembiam, filed a complaint stating that the salesman charged him ₹250 for a bottle priced at ₹240 and failed to issue a bill or return the excess amount. Devarajan alleged that such overcharging was a common practice in several TASMAC outlets, where the extra money collected was allegedly pocketed by staff and shared with higher officials. He sought a refund of ₹10 and compensation of ₹1 lakh for mental agony and unfair trade practice.
The commission, comprising President D. Gopinath and members Kavitha Kannan and V. Ramamurthy, recorded that notice had been duly served to the Managing Director of Tasmac and the concerned salesman, but neither appeared before the forum. As a result, the case proceeded ex parte.
Devarajan, who appeared in person, submitted evidence including the official Tasmac MRP list, a debit card slip showing the payment, and a photograph of the liquor bottle in question.
After reviewing the material, the commission held that there was no direct liability on the Tasmac Managing Director, observing that the act of overcharging was attributable solely to the individual salesman. The order stated that while Tasmac was the licensed retailing authority, the unfair trade practice of collecting excess money was a personal act of the salesman.
Citing provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the commission ruled that charging more than the MRP constituted an unfair trade practice under Section 2(47), as it involved misleading pricing and consumer exploitation.
However, the bench reduced the compensation amount sought by the complainant. In its order dated September 25, the commission directed the salesman to pay ₹5,000 to Devarajan, inclusive of the ₹10 excess charge, compensation for mental agony, and litigation costs.
(Source: Times of India)
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