Consumer commission orders Delhi coaching centre to refund fees, pay fine

The central Delhi District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has directed a coaching institute in Rajendra Nagar here to refund Rs 62,363 to a student for "deficient" services, besides paying her Rs 10,000 as compensation for causing harassment and mental agony.

The commission observed that the coaching institute, IAS Gurukul' was found guilty of publishing misleading advertisements and charging lump sum fees, besides getting itself unjustly enriched through unfair practices and deficient services.

The commission comprising its president Inder Jeet Singh and member Rashmi Bansal was hearing the complaint of a student, Satyata, who said that after paying Rs 98,000 to the coaching centre, she found that the services promised in the advertisement and information brochure were false and misleading.

"The mentors named in the brochure never visited or interacted with the students and no sessions on personal attention, counselling, test series, personality development, revision classes, doubt clearing or personal guidance from previous year's toppers were conducted," said the complaint.

In a recent order, the commission said the coaching centre's claim that the complainant attended nine months of classes was not proved by attendance records and it also failed to refute the allegations of misleading advertisements.

Also, the centre, represented by its director Pranay Agarwal, could not provide evidence to prove that the services which were promised in the brochure, including the mentors addressing the students, were delivered, nor did the institute place on record the details of its teaching faculty, it said.

"The commission is of the view that the opposite party (OP) (coaching institute) is guilty of publishing the advertisements and brochure as misleading in order to lure the students without intention to fulfil the promises made therein," said the commission.

It said as the complainant had attended classes for four months, the centre had to return the fees for the remaining seven months.

"Further, OP failed to prove his case and (is) found guilty of unfair practices, including publishing misleading advertisements and charging lump-sum fees, getting itself unjustly enriched through unfair practices and deficient services and causing mental harassment and detrimental effects on the complainant's studies, therefore, is liable to compensate the complainant," said the commission.

It said while the complainant had established a deficiency in services by producing reliable evidence, the centre failed to produce any document to show that it had provided sufficient services.

It directed the centre to refund Rs 62,363 for seven months of unutilised classes, Rs 10,000 as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment to the complainant and Rs 5,000 as litigation costs.