In a rather unusual case, a consumer court in Tamil Nadu has ruled that ITC Foods Limited, a prominent fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) marketer in India, must pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to a consumer. The complaint stemmed from an incident where one packet of ITC’s biscuit brand, ‘Sunfeast Marie Light,’ contained only 15 biscuits instead of the promised 16 as indicated on the packaging.
the court ordered ITC Foods to reimburse Dillibab
The judgment by the Tiruvallur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum was issued in response to a complaint filed by P Dillibabu. Additionally, the court ordered ITC Foods to reimburse Dillibabu with an additional Rs 10,000 to cover his litigation costs.
Dillibabu’s initial complaint included a demand for a Rs 100-crore penalty against the FMCG giant and the store that sold the biscuit packet. He also sought Rs 10 crore as compensation for alleged unfair trade practices and a lack of service.
ITC Foods argued that the biscuits were sold based on weight and not the number of pieces in the packet. However, the consumer court rejected this argument, emphasizing that the product’s wrapper clearly indicated the quantity of biscuits, influencing consumer purchasing decisions.
The court stated, “A potential consumer would only see the wrapper to decide if to purchase the product. The product information available on the packet influences the consumer’s buying behavior and that the product information available on the wrapper or label plays a significant role in customer satisfaction.”
The primary issue in the case was the shortage of biscuits in a packet, and the court held ITC Foods responsible for “unfair trade practice, deficiency in service, and misleading the customer.” With ample admissible evidence presented, the consumer forum ruled in favor of Dillibabu.
As a result, ITC Foods was ordered to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to Dillibabu and an additional Rs 10,000 to cover his legal expenses. This unusual case serves as a reminder of the importance of accurately representing product content and quantity on packaging to maintain consumer trust and satisfaction.
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