Consumer panel puts Chandigarh Club on notice

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 4

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has issued a notice to the Chandigarh Club for charging subscription fee from its members for the months during which the club was closed due to the pandemic.

The commission sought a reply from the club management after a member of the club, advocate Divanshu Jain, filed a complaint before the commission terming the act of the management illegal and unfair trade practice.

In his complaint, Jain asked the commission to issue an order to waive/refund the amount charged as subscription fee along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from the date of deduction of the fee. He also demanded Rs50,000 as compensation for harassment and mental agony, and Rs21,000 as cost of litigation.

Jain said he and a large number of other members had been served bills for the fee to be collected for the period when the club was not operational. This, he said, amounted to malpractice and was illegal and unethical.

Due to the pandemic, the club remained closed from mid-March and members were not able to avail of its services. Despite this, the club sent him an e-bill on April 30 wherein subscription charges had been levied for April and May along with GST and the money had been deducted from the advance amount already paid by the complainant towards the club. Jain said he had sent a legal notice to the club management on the issue, but it failed to act.