Rohtak District Commission Holds Reliance Trends Liable For Charging Rs. 7 For Carry Bag Having Its Logo

Brief Facts:

Ms. Ekta (“Complainant”) purchased clothes from Reliance Trends (“Trends”) in Rohtak. The total bill for the items purchased was less than Rs. 2,000/-. She was informed by an employee at Trends that if she made additional purchases worth Rs. 3,000/- then she would be given discount coupons worth Rs. 2,000/-. Consequently, Trends charged Rs. 3,400.52/- for the transaction, including an additional Rs. 7/- for a torn carry bag, used for advertising. Despite the Complainant's request for a refund for the bag, her request was declined. Moreover, the Complainant faced issues during shopping, including inadequate facilities such as improper water service and malfunctioning air conditioning units at the store.

Upon attempting to redeem the coupons on a subsequent visit, the Complainant was informed that each Rs. 1,000/- coupon required Rs. 1,000/- minimum purchase, totalling Rs. 2499 in additional shopping. Despite complying and spending Rs. 3,455.55/-, the promised benefits of the coupons couldn't be availed by the Complainant. The Complainant made several communications with Trends and its parent company, Reliance Retail Ltd., but didn't receive any satisfactory response. Feeling aggrieved, the Complainant approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Rohtak (“District Commission”) and filed a consumer complaint against Trends and Reliance Retail.

In response, Trends and Reliance Digital contended that the offer was clearly explained to the Complainant during billing, and her participation was voluntary. They argued that there was no obligation to provide the carry bag for free, as it was billed with the Complainant's consent. Therefore, they prayed for the rejection of the complaint.

Observations by the District Commission:

The District Commission held the Complainant purchased clothes from Trends and was charged Rs. 7/- for a carry bag without consent. The District Commission referred to the Reliance logo on the carry bag and held that this constituted unauthorized advertising at the expense of the consumer. However, regarding the issue of redeeming coupons and additional shopping, the District Commission held that Trends merely presented an offer to the Complainant, who willingly chose to make further purchases to avail of the benefits. While providing gifts or coupons is a common business tactic, the District Commission held that it is the consumer's responsibility to evaluate the benefits and implications before accepting such offers.

Therefore, the District Commission held Trends and Reliance Retail liable of unfair trade practices for charging Rs. 7/- for a carry bag from the Complainant. Further, it held that there was no deficiency in service or unfair trade practice on their part regarding the distribution of discount coupons. Therefore, Reliance Trends and Reliance Retail were directed to refund Rs. 7/- to the Complainant and pay Rs. 1,000/- as compensation for the deficiency in service. Additionally, they were directed to pay Rs. 2,000/- for the litigation costs incurred by the Complainant.