Two brothers in Surat found a stapler pin in a food packet they had purchased for their dog. They complained to the shop owner, asking him to take it back and replace the same with a new pack. The shop owner refused to do so. They then sent legal notice to the shop owner as well as the manufacturer of the product. Still there was no response from either. Finally they reached the consumer grievance redressal forum for justice.
Now, close to four years after this incident, the Surat District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (CDRC) has ordered the shop owner to pay a compensation of Rs 154 to the complainant, along with Rs 1,000 towards mental harassment caused by his behaviour.
The notice has been served on the owner of Asha Enterprises, which has an outlet in Athwa Lines in Surat and sells pet food, to pay compensation to brothers Darshan and Abhishek Shethiya.
According to the brothers, when they were feeding their pet, a Lhasa breed, they noticed something shining in the contents of the packet. On checking, they saw it was a stapler pin. According to their complaint, the shop owner misbehaved with them and refused a refund or replacement when they sought so.
As the food was prepared and packaged by Global Vet Care in Kheda district, Shethiya also sent a complaint to the company. However, there was no response.
The complainant produced photos of the food, bills, and other proof along with the actual food with the stapler pin before the consumer court.
The commission observed that the evidence was enough proof of deficient service on the part of the shop owner and the food manufacturer and neither of the two had any proof to show their innocence.
“The food sold to customers should have been pure and with quality. However, this was not taken care of. If there was a defect, it was their responsibility to refund or replace it. As per law, manufacturer and distributor both are responsible for this defect,” the commission ruled.
The commission ordered them to pay Rs 154 with 9 per cent interest effective from January 9, 2020.
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