Payment debited twice for shirt but ‘refund takes 17 days’, Hyderabad man wins Rs 8,000

The Hyderabad District Consumer Commission has directed a clothing store to pay a customer Rs 8,000 in compensation and costs after Rs 999 was allegedly debited twice for a shirt he purchased and the excess amount was refunded only after 17 days. Finding a deficiency in service, the commission said that the retailer failed to provide concrete evidence of steps taken to resolve the duplicate-payment issue promptly.

President B Uma Venkata Subba Lakshmi and member C Lakshmi Prasanna observed that the complainant was not entitled to a refund of Rs 999 but to just and reasonable compensation for the delay in receiving the refund along with costs.

“In the case at hand, the opposite parties (shopping store), accept stating that they have taken necessary steps when the…team has confirmed the receipt of the excess amount and have proceeded with the approval of the refund, have not explained the delay of almost 17 days for reversal of the amount received by them,” the September 18 order said.

“The admitted facts and material evidence on the record establish that though the complainant has approached the opposite parties on the very next day of the purchase, i.e. on December 21, 2024, the opposite parties have failed to provide timely resolution,” the order added.

Purchased 1 shirt, paid for 2

The complainant purchased a casual shirt worth Rs 999 on December 12, 2024. He paid the bill through an SBI debit card, but the transaction was declined due to a network (Wi-Fi) issue. Upon request to complete the payment through other means, he paid the bill through PhonePe.

On December 21, 2024, the complainant verified his bank statement and found that the amount of Rs 999 was debited twice from his account. He approached the store to enquire about it. The person sitting at the bill collection informed him that the transaction amount made through debit card was not credited to the account of the store due to network issues, and the amount would be credited to his account within seven working days. The branch manager also admitted that the transaction was declined due to Wi-Fi issues at the store.

The complainant issued a legal notice dated December 23, 2024, for the mental agony suffered by him. The amount was not credited to his account even after seven working days as assured by the store. Hence, alleging deficiency in service on the part of the store, the complainant filed the present complaint before the commission.

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In the written version filed on behalf of the store, it denied the allegations and said that the claims raised by the complainant are devoid of merit. It further argued that the complaint was non-maintainable and was liable to be dismissed as an abuse of the process of law and a scheme to illegally extract money from the store.

It was stated that the store has always maintained exceptional service standards and upheld ethical business practices, ensuring all customer interactions are handled with integrity and transparency.

Considering the facts and peculiar circumstances of the case, the commission stated that awarding compensation of Rs 5,000 along with costs of Rs 3,000 will meet the ends of justice.

Takeaway

The order highlights that if the transaction is a ‘credit push’ funds transfer and the beneficiary account is not credited while the debit to the originator has been effected, then credit is to be effected within the prescribed time period, failing which the penalty has to be paid to the beneficiar.

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Aggrieved consumers may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Telangana: 0771-2582902) or call the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance. 

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