Shoes Hold Cultural Value Says Consumer Court Awards Rs 21000 To Groom Over Undelivered Pair

The Ludhiana District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has directed a shoe company to refund Rs 11,000, along with a composite cost of Rs 10,000, for allegedly not delivering a pair of shoes to a bridegroom who had ordered shoes for his marriage.

A bench comprising Sanjeev Batra (president) and Monika Bhagat (member) was hearing a complaint filed by a man who had ordered shoes for his wedding from a shoe company’s website and paid in advance. Still, the shoes were never delivered, and due to urgency, he was forced to buy a different pair.

“The pair of shoes holds significant cultural importance in the ceremonies of marriage, and normally, the bridegroom pays special attention in this regard. Faced with this situation, the complainant left with no option but to purchase another pair of shoes locally, which not only caused mental agony and harassment but added to his embarrassment,” the June 12 ex-parte order read.

The Ludhiana district consumer commission noted that even after assurances of the shoe company, the shoes meant for the man’s marriage were never actually delivered to him, but instead, a false delivery note was reflected in the tracking system.

It was observed by the commission that shoes held significant cultural importance in the ceremonies of marriage, and usually the groom paid special attention to them.

The commission took notice of the fact that the situation of the man left with no option but to purchase another pair of shoes locally, which not only caused mental agony and harassment but also added to his embarrassment.

It was also stated by the commission that the allegations made by the man were not challenged, as the shoe company did not contest the case.

The Commission held the shoe company to be guilty of providing deficient service and of unfair trade practices. The shoe company was hence ordered to refund Rs 11,000 (cost of shoes) with interest at the rate of 8 percent per annum from the date of payment for the shoes till the date of actual payment.

The shoe company was also directed to pay a composite cost of Rs 10,000 to the man, since it had been deficient in providing proper services to him.

In an unrelated case, the Chandigarh State Consumer Redressal Commission noted that a wedding was a “once-in-a-lifetime” event that held “immense emotional value” and that its memories cannot be quantified in monetary terms and awarded a couple Rs 25,000 for “mental stress and inconvenience” after the photographers they had hired did not deliver their wedding album after being paid nearly the full amount.

In this case a couple engaged the services of photographers for their ring ceremony and wedding reception and paid 90 per cent of the total charges in advance. The photographers had agreed to provide all agreed materials, including a hardbound album containing 200 photographs, two reels in original electronic format, and a 20×30 portrait, within two weeks of each function. However they failed to deliver the materials.

It was also observed by the commission that the purpose of engaging a professional photographer was not only to obtain printed photographs but also to preserve cherished memories of “important milestones” in life.

The ruling establishes the obligation of the companies to actually deliver the products promised to the consumers or provide prompt refund in failing to so and the fact that the concerns of the consumers must not be ignored causing them unnecessary inconvenience.

Consumers must also pursue their complaints in consumer commissions so that the companies and service providers at fault are held accountable for their actions.

For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states and union territories (Punjab helpline:0800-22577) or call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 for assistance.