Tailor dragged to court for ill-cut coat

KOLKATA: One of the joys of Christmas is dressing up for the occasion. It''s a time to put one''s best foot forward, to take out those fancy dresses and designer blazers.
For Paul D. Rozario of Sarang Lane, Christmas 2003 was one that he would like to forget in a hurry. A few weeks before Christmas, there was a bereavement in the family and Rozario was looking forward to the festive spirit to dispel his sorrows.His tailor, however, ruined it all.
He gave Rozario a blazer that was too tight to wear and had sleeves that were too short.
Rozario had placed an order for a blazer with a tailoring house in New Market on 8 December 2003 and was asked to pick it up two days later.
But the sudden bereavement in the family meant that Rozario could not collect the blazer on time. It was only on Christmaseve that Rozario turned up at the tailor''s, expecting to take back what he hoped would make him the cynosure of all eyes at the family party.
But, what he got from his tailor left him bitterly disappointed — Rozario tried getting into the blazer that the tailor gave him but found it was a bad fit. Rozario brought the defect to the notice of the tailor but the latter refused to make the needful alterations.
However, Rozarios was not one to take it lying down. He filed a complaint with Kolkata District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum Unit-I, seeking a full refund on the cost of the blazer apart from compensation.
He pointed out that he was entitled to relief under Section 12 of Consumer Protection Act-1986.
But the tailoring company felt it was Rozario who was to blame. He did not take the delivery on time and had given them no scope for a proper trial of the blazer.
They insisted it was Rozario''s fault that he had not tried on the blazer earlier and was, therefore, not entitled to relief.
A receipt fished out by the complainant, however, clearly established that the tailor had not set any specified date for trial of the blazer.
A three-member forum, headed by president P.N. Bhadury, passed an order on March 8, directing the tailor to refund the amount the blazer had cost (Rs 990) and pay Rs 500 as compensation and Rs 400 as costs to Rozario.