Rs 20 water bottle sold at Rs 41, cafe fined Rs 5,000 in Vadodara

VADODARA: Though dismayed, you may have often ended up paying double or even more for a Rs 20 water bottle in restaurants. However, a citizen aware of consumer rights refused to accept such unreasonable pricing and dragged a posh cafe to the consumer court, which ruled in his favour.

The Vadodara consumer commission ordered against Kabir's Kitchen Cafe Gallery to pay the complainant, Jatin Valangar,Rs 5,000 for mental harassment and Rs 2,000 as legal costs for the seven-year-long legal battle.

In Oct 2017, Valangar visited the cafe on a hot day and ordered a 750ml water bottle. While drinking, he noticed that the menu listed the bottle at Rs 39 - Rs 19 above its MRP of Rs 20. With service tax added, he was charged Rs 41. Upset by the excessive pricing and unsatisfactory responses from the staff, Valangar decided to take action.

With support from the Grahak Suraksha Jagruti Manch, Valangar filed a complaint with the Vadodara District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (additional). He alleged that the cafe charged more than the legally mandated MRP, profiting unfairly at the expense of customers. Despite receiving a notice from the commission, the cafe management did not respond, the complaint stated.

After reviewing the evidence presented by Valangar, the commission confirmed that the cafe sold the water bottle at Rs 41, which was significantly higher than its MRP of Rs 20. The judgment noted that this constituted an unfair trade practice aimed at financial gain. "The complainant was aghast as he was charged Rs 41 instead of Rs 20 for the bottle, and the opponent also behaved rudely with him. It's natural for the complainant to feel angry," the commission observed. The commission also ordered the cafe to pay Valangar Rs 21 that it overcharged for the bottle with 9% interest.


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