Hyderabad: The Rangareddy consumer court has asked a function hall to refund Rs 90,000 to a complainant after the wedding was cancelled during the lockdown in 2021 due to COVID-19.
The consumer dispute resolution commission ordered Devaki Convention to return the bulk of the advance payment made by a complainant, who had initially deposited Rs 1 lakh for a wedding scheduled for May 22, 2021.
The complainant had booked the venue for 1,000 guests at a total cost of Rs 4.5 lakh, paying two installments of Rs 50,000 each in November 2020 and January 2021. However, the second wave of the pandemic and subsequent govt restrictions made it impossible to proceed with the planned celebration.
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In a statement in the court, the complainant said, “When I approached the function hall seeking a refund they initially agreed and later refused to pay.”
The function hall authorities then proposed rescheduling the event to Aug 12, 2021 but allegedly double-booked the date without informing the complainant.
The convention centre’s management argued that the advance payment was non-refundable as per the booking terms and claimed they had incurred expenses for arrangements. However, they failed to produce evidence supporting the claim.
The commission noted in the order that “retaining the complainant’s money without providing any services amounts to unfair trade practice.” While acknowledging the non-refundable clause in the contract, the commission ruled that the venue could not justify keeping the entire amount without proof of actual expenses.
The order mandated Devaki Convention to refund Rs 90,000 (after a 10 percent deduction for incidental charges) with 9 percent annual interest from September 30, 2022. The venue owners must also pay Rs 5,000 in litigation costs, the court ordered.
