Consumer Commission Fines AJIO And Reliance Retail For Overcharging

Consumer Commission Fines AJIO and Reliance Retail for Overcharging

The Chandigarh bench of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, composed of President Pawanjit Singh, Member Surjeet Kaur, and Member Suresh Kumar Sardana, determined that Reliance Retail Limited and its brand AJIO were liable for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices due to the sale and delivery of a laptop briefcase at a price exceeding its original maximum retail price (MRP).

Deepika Bhardwaj bought a laptop briefcase from Reliance Retail, marketed through their brand AJIO, online. The advertised price was ₹38,000, but she paid ₹34,960 with a discount. However, upon receipt, she discovered the briefcase's tag displayed an original MRP of ₹33,900.

Despite attempts to reach AJIO via phone and email, Bhardwaj received no satisfactory response. Consequently, she filed a consumer complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I in Chandigarh. Neither AJIO nor Reliance Retail appeared before the commission, leading to an ex-parte proceeding.

The Complainant asserted that AJIO owed her a refund due to the discrepancy between the price she paid and the actual MRP. Notably, at the time of the hearing, the briefcase price remained advertised on AJIO's website as ₹38,000, inclusive of all taxes.

Upon examining the Complainant's evidence, the District Commission observed that AJIO persistently advertised a price exceeding the actual MRP on their website, leading to a price inflation of ₹1,060 for the briefcase. Furthermore, the absence of any counter-evidence from AJIO supported the finding of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

While the Complainant sought a complete refund, the District Commission observed her continued use of the briefcase without any indication of intent to return it. Given the option to return the item and obtain a full refund, the District Commission, therefore, directed Reliance Retail Limited and AJIO to reimburse the excess amount of ₹1,060 with 9 per cent annual interest from the date of invoice receipt. Additionally, they were ordered to pay ₹5,000 as compensation for the mental agony and harassment caused, and another ₹5,000 for the Complainant's litigation costs.