Tasmac salesman to pay Rs 5,000 for charging Rs 10 extra on a bottle

CHENNAI: The Chennai North District Consumer Redressal Commission has directed a salesman with the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd (TASMAC) to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation for charging a customer Rs 10 extra for a bottle of alcohol.

The customer had also filed a complaint against the TASMAC managing director, which the commission dismissed.

Complainant G Devarajan purchased a bottle of alcohol worth Rs 240 from a TASMAC shop and paid Rs 250 through his debit card. But the salesman and TASMAC MD failed to return the balance amount of Rs 10, thereby collecting an amount in excess to that of the MRP mentioned on the product.

Devarajan, who is a social activist, claimed that the excess amount collected by the staff and senior officers were further distributed among themselves, and no action has been initiated against such unlawful activities. Devarajan claimed that the parties are involved in unfair trade practice by charging higher than the MRP.

While notices were sent to the opposite parties by the consumer commission, they failed to make an appearance, and hence, was called absent and set exparte.

The commission, headed by president D Gopinath, members Kavitha Kannan and V Ramamurthy, allowed the complaint against the salesman but dismissed against the MD. It directed the salesman to pay Rs 5,000 towards the unfair trade practice, monetary loss, mental agony, pain and sufferings, including the excess amount charged from the complainant and litigation costs, within two months from the date of receipt of the order.