BENGALURU: A 57-year-old Bengaluru woman had dreamt of draping an expensive Banarasi silk sari on her son's wedding. But that was shattered when she received her Rs 33,000 sari, all torn from the dry cleaners. Traumatised by the experience, she took the firm Band Box to the consumer court and recently won Rs 45,000 in compensation.
Anuprabha Bhat, a resident of Yelachenahalli, gave her three silk saris to a Band Box outlet in Jayanagar in Dec 2022 for washing and roll pressing. They included a newly bought Banarasi sari worth Rs 33,000, which she had bought from Delhi for her son's marriage.
The firm issued a bill of Rs 1,770. But Bhat was shattered when she found the sari fully torn on Dec 12. She protested but the firm did not return the garment and instead, issued her another bill.
When she demanded a refund of the cost of the sari from the firm, one of the employees assured her that she will get the money by Jan 2023. However, multiple visits to the outlet and countless emails and phone calls elicited no response. She even sent a legal notice to Band Box on Dec 6, 2023, but the firm did not bother to reply.
With nowhere to go, Bhat approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on Dec 26, 2023, alleging that Band Box had untrained workers, which resulted in her valuable sari suffering damages due to the firm's negligence.
Band Box's representative denied the allegations, stating that the pressing was done in an automatic machine and the question of faulty machinery and untrained workers did not arise. The firm further claimed the sari was not new, was of poor quality, and therefore, it tore.
After hearing both sides and reviewing all documents, the commission observed that the sari was beyond repair. The commission further noted that the firm accepted the sari was a Banarasi one, and after perusal and physical verification of the sari, it was apparent that the garment was a costly one. The damage suffered by the garment proved that there was deficiency in service, the court held in its judgement pronounced recently.
Noting that Bhat had failed to produce the receipt for having purchased the sari, the court ordered Band Box to pay her Rs 25,000 towards the approximate cost of the garment, with an annual interest of 6% from the day of the case was filed with the commission. Additionally, the firm was asked to pay Bhat Rs 15,000 for service deficiency and for causing trauma with delay in resolving the matter for more than a year, and Rs 5,000 as litigation costs.