Burqa showroom asked to pay compensation to aggrieved customer

Mangalore, December 28: The Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked a burqa showroom in the city to pay a compensation of Rs 6,000 including litigation costs, to a customer for replacing a costly burqu material given for stitching with a substandard one.

Ayisha Gulzar (23) of Someshwar, Ullal, had lodged a complaint against the Paradise Burqa House located at Kunil Centre in the city, alleging if of deceiving her.

She had handed over the material gifted by her brother, to the burqa house for stitching in October 2010. The burqa house had promised to deliver the stitched burqa on November4. When she returned to the showroom-cum-stitching centre, the burqa was not ready. She was asked to collect it on November 15. On the following say, Aysha received the burqa from the showroom to discover that the material was different.

Refusing to accept the delivery, she insisted that she wanted the imported material handed over by her. However, the showroom insisted that there had been mix-up with the materials and she had to collect the burqa stitched from sub-standard material.

The aggrieved customer had then approached the Forum demanding a compensation of Rs 16, 000.

Countering her charges, the Paradise Burkha House claimed that Aysha had failed to collect the stitched burqa on the due date. She had visited the showroom on November 15 to collect the stitched burqa, but left on the pretext of not having sufficient money to pay for the burqa and never turned up. The Paradise Burkha House deposing before the Forum sought the dismissal of case as there was no mix-up of materials and the burqa was stitched to specific requirements with the material given by the complainant.

However, on scrutiny of evidences, the Forum observed that a sample of the material tagged with receipt differed with the stitched material submitted before the Forum.

The material attached to slip was thicker than the stitched material displayed by the showroom, the Forum stressed and dismissed arguments that the burqa was not stitched from the material given by Aysha.

Forum President Asha Shetty also stressed that it was the bounden duty to take care of the materials given by customers.

Taking into the cost of material and the inconvenience caused, The Forum directed the Paradise Burqa House to pay a compensation of Rs 6, 000 including litigation expenses within a month.