What began as a dispute over a mere 24 paise has culminated in a man being fined Rs 1,000 by a consumer court. Prashant Patel, a resident of Detroj-Rampura village, took a local pizza restaurant to court, claiming he had been overcharged by just a fraction of a rupee due to rounding off his bill. However, the consumer commission was far from sympathetic, deeming the case a “mockery of justice” and a misuse of the legal system.
The incident began on 10 January 2024, when Patel visited the pizza restaurant and was billed Rs 665 for his meal, which included pizza and soft drinks. According to Patel, the correct total should have been Rs 664.76 after factoring in discounts and GST. He objected to the extra 24 paise and raised the issue with the restaurant staff, who assured him that his complaint would be passed on to management and that he would either receive a message or a refund if an error had occurred.
When the restaurant failed to respond, Patel escalated the matter to the Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Gandhinagar. In his complaint, Patel argued that the restaurant was intentionally overcharging customers under the guise of rounding off bills, calling for a significant penalty to prevent future exploitation.
In its defence, the restaurant explained that the bill had been rounded off in accordance with official guidelines. It further stated that its billing software was programmed to follow government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules for generating invoices.
The commission, clearly unimpressed by the triviality of the complaint, expressed its frustration in its ruling: “This complaint was filed to recover 24 paise from the restaurant, which is nothing short of a mockery of justice and a cause for pain. The restaurant demonstrated that the bill was rounded off following RBI and government guidelines. The complainant has filed a frivolous claim, misleading the commission and wasting valuable time.”
The commission ruled in favour of the restaurant, dismissing Patel’s claim and imposing a Rs 1,000 fine on him, which was ordered to be paid to the State Consumer Welfare Fund.
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