Courtesy Honda penalised for unfair trade practices

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 25

For charging over Rs 26,000 during car service for works not requested by the customer, the consumer forum has ordered Courtesy Honda to refund the amount and ordered it to pay a compensation of Rs 7,000, including litigation cost.

According to complainant Narinder Gupta (62), a doctor, he took his car to service centre of Courtesy Honda Lally Automobiles (P) Ltd, Industrial Area, Phase I, on December 23 for normal periodic service.

In the job card, no instructions were given by the complainant or his driver for any work other than the normal service of the vehicle. But the opposite parties on their own carried out ancillary work in the vehicle such as under-body rust treatment, internal panel anti-rust treatment, motor care treatment, kit as inflator and silencer coating treatment.

The opposite parties have also charged Rs 1,796 for Honda Car Roadside Assistance Policy without any request from the complainant. They also changed a tyre without request.

The complainant left his car at the service centre on December 23, 2016 and the car was delivered to him on December 28, 2016.

“The unhealthy trade tactics as adopted by the opposite parties in the present case required to be curbed with strict mandate. Accordingly, the opposite parties are hereby issued censure with warning to be careful in future and do not exploit innocent customers,” read the forum order.

The case

In the job card, no instructions were given by the complainant or his driver for any work other than the normal service of the vehicle. But the opposite parties on their own carried out ancillary work in the vehicle such as under-body rust treatment, internal panel anti-rust treatment, motor care treatment, kit as inflator and silencer coating treatment.

The order

“The unhealthy trade tactics as adopted by the opposite parties in the present case required to be curbed with strict mandate. Accordingly, the opposite parties are hereby issued censure with warning to be careful in future and do not exploit innocent customers,” read the forum order.