Every product and service that we purchase comes with a price tag. When we visit restaurants, we need to pay bills where all the dishes, drinks, and other items are priced accordingly. No matter if we are eating at an eatery or a swanky 5-star restaurant, no one should overcharge us. Recently, a famous restaurant in Kolkata was fined by the Consumer Court for charging more from a customer.
Consumer Court Levied A Penalty On THIS Kolkata Restaurant
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission fined the famous Marco Polo Restaurant ₹1,500 on Monday. The reason behind the court putting a fine on this establishment was that Marco Polo charged more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for a bottle of beer and a water bottle, according to a report by Bar and Bench.
In addition to overcharging for water and booze, the restaurant also added a service charge to the bill and the consumer court took this into consideration as well. Nilanjana Chakraborty is the customer who visited this iconic restaurant in Kolkata’s Park Street and had this experience where she was overcharged for beer and water.
She later filed a complaint stating that the prices mentioned by the restaurant were more than the MRP. Marco Polo charged her ₹260 for a bottle of beer and ₹30 for a bottle of water, according to a report by MillenniumPost. While lodging the complaint, the woman also mentioned how the place not only charged 5 per cent GST but also added a service charge of 10 per cent of the overall amount.
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Initially, Marco Polo Did Not Agree But…
In the complaint, Nilanjana stated how she wanted to talk to the manager but the staff did not allow it. After the complaint about overcharging, the restaurant refused any such claims. But later, it was found that Marco Polo took service charges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the end, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission was in favour of the woman and imposed a fine of ₹1,500 on the Marco Polo restaurant. In addition to all that happened in the past few days, this place now cannot overcharge customers when they are purchasing bottles of water and alcohol.
What are your views on this incident?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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