Overcharging a customer Rs 10 for an ice cream has cost a Mumbai restaurant dear as the district consumer forum has imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on it and has asked it to pay compensation to the customer.
Six years ago, Shagun Veg Restaurant had charged a customer Rs 175 while the printed MRP was Rs 165 for an ice-cream from then sub-inspector Bhaskar Jadhav.
Holding the restaurant guilty of engaging in unfair trade practices, the forum said that it had certainly made a profit by levying an excessive charge on innocent customers as it has been in the business for nearly 24 years and making Rs 40,000- 50,000 on daily basis.
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The restaurant claimed it incurred costs to store it, while the complainant said he bought it from the counter.
Dismissing the restaurant’s claims, the forum said that the complainant had not used their services such as asking a waiter to get water, using furniture, or using cutlery for having the ice-cream.
Therefore, it held that the extra charge was unjustified.
“In order to curb such unscrupulous trade practices by restaurants and shops and for the benefit of customers, the principle of fear of deterrence must be addressed," the forum said, coming down heavily on the restaurant.