Bank fined Rs 20,000 for failing to provide promised AC facility to customer in TN

TIRUNELVELI: The district consumer grievances redressal forum in Tirunelveli has slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on a private sector bank for deficiency in service. The fine was slapped for failing to provide an airconditioned facility to consumers.
The forum has directed the bank to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation to the consumer A Brammanayagam, 46, and Rs 5,000 towards expenses for fighting the case.
Petitioner Brammanayagam, a consumer activist, stated that the Tirunelveli branch of IDBI Bank had assured an airconditioned facility for consumers at the bank and this was one of the factors for him to open a savings bank account there.
Stating that the centralised AC had been defunct for a few weeks, the consumer added that he faced hardships in the bank on June 21, 2019, while waiting for 30 minutes to obtain a demand draft.
He alleged that the closed windows caused added discomfort for the customers, whereas a pedestal fan was provided only to the bank staff. In his petition, the man mentioned that the bank manager had informed him that he had taken it up with his higher-ups. But the faulty AC had not been replaced as it would cost Rs 4.5 lakh.
The manager also got a complaint from the consumer to be forwarded to senior officials in Mumbai.
On July 12, 2019, the consumer once again went to the bank to deposit money, but the AC was still faulty. He spoke to a senior bank official in Mumbai over the phone. The official said it would take a month for the AC service provider to install a new one.
Accusing the manager in Tirunelveli and his higher-ups in Mumbai of humiliating him and not redressing his grievance, the man moved the district consumer grievances redressal forum along with receipts for his transaction in the bank on the said dates, videos of a fan that was not functional and a copy of the complaint he had submitted to the bank manager regarding the faulty AC.
As the opposite party had received the summons and had not offered their explanation, forum president Devadass and members Sivamoorthi and Muthulakshmi treated the bank as an ex-party and passed the order in favour of the consumer on Wednesday.
If the bank fails to pay the fine within a month, it will attract an interest of 6% till the compensation is given to the customer.