Charging Rs. 5 Extra For Paper Cup, Chandigarh District Commission Holds Barista Coffee Company Liable

Brief Facts:

Pancy Singh Soni (“Complainant”) visited one Barista Coffee Company Store (“Barista”) at MG Road, New Delhi. She ordered a Hot Chocolate and received a bill amounting to Rs. 230/-. Upon inspection of the bill, she noted that Barista charged her Rs. 5/- for a paper cup labelled "BARISTA" in which the Hot Chocolate was served. Despite raising objections to this additional charge, Barista did not address her concerns. Feeling aggrieved, the Complainant filed a consumer complaint in the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (“District Commission”).

In response, Barista asserted that the order placed by the Complainant was for takeaway, not for consumption at the Store. It contended that, to cover additional expenses related to packaging material, it was justified in charging packaging fees. It further argued that this complaint was an attempt to file false and frivolous allegations against them, motivated by mala-fide intentions and ulterior motives to extort money.

Observations by the Commission:

The District Commission noted that Barista admitted the fault on its part by stating that it had charged Rs. 5/- for the paper cup to cover packaging expenses. Barista itself claimed to stop such practices and offered to deposit Rs. 10,000/- in the Poor Patient Fund/Account of P.G.I. Chandigarh and pay Rs. 1,000/- to the Complainant as compensation.

The District Commission held this offer to be a just and fair compensation and allowed the complaint. The agreed amount was directed to be paid within 60 days from the date of receipt of the order's copy.

Case Title: Pancy Singh Soni vs Barista Coffee Company Limited and Anr.

Case No.: CC/322 of 2021

Advocate for the Complainant: G.K. Goyal

Advocate for the Respondent: Sanjeev Kumar

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