HDFC to pay Rs 15,000 compensation for 'harassing' consumer

HDFC Bank has been asked by a consumer forum to pay Rs 15,000 compensation to a man for "harassing" him by charging him for an air ticket, which he had not purchased, through his credit card.
West Delhi District Consumer, presided by Bimla Makin, asked the bank to pay the compensation amount to Rajesh Kukreja in the case of wrongly charging money by claiming that he had purchased an air ticket via credit card.
"...The complainant has successfully proved both his allegations against the Opposite Party (bank) that no air ticket was purchased by him by using the credit card issued to him and he did not receive any statement of account as it was being sent at a wrong address," the forum said.

The forum's bench, also comprising its member Urmila Gupta, also directed bank to reverse all the entries in his account.
"...We hereby order the OP to reverse all the entries in the account of the complainant showing that he purchased any air ticket by using his credit card for Air China in April, 2007.
"Complainant is awarded a compensation of Rs 15,000 for the harassment and inconvenience caused to him due to negligence in rendering services to the complainant which shall be inclusive of litigation expenses," it said.

Kukreja had told the forum that he was issued a credit card by the bank which he used only once for payment to a hotel.

However, he later learnt that the credit card dues were shown in his account as Rs 40,000 and after making enquiries from the bank, he was told that he had purchased an air ticket from the card and no payment was made for that and hence, the amount kept on increasing on account of accumulated interest and penalties, he said.
He approached the bank for necessary correction because he had never entered into any such transaction but nothing favourable was done and aggrieved by this, he approached forum.
However, the counsel for the bank denied the allegations before the forum, contending that an Air China ticket was purchased by Kukreja for Rs 8,832.