Consumer Forum rules against Bata, says Charging for carry bags amounts to unfair trade practice

Shoe manufacturer Bata cannot charge its consumers for carry bags on purchase of products, a District Consumer Disputes Redress Forum recently ruled.

Given that the carry bag is essential to the purchase of the product, the same would constitute unfair trade practice, ruled a Bench of President Rattan Singh Thakur and members Suresh Kumar Sardana and Surjeet Kaur.

The forum rejected Bata’s defence that the additionally priced paper carry bags were introduced in the interest of environmental protection.

The order stated, “…we record a firm finding that there is unfair trade practice on the part of Opposite Party [Bata] in compelling the complainant to purchase the carry bag worth Rs.3/- and if the Opposite Party is a environmental activist, he should have given the same to the complainant free of cost. It was for gain of OP. By employing unfair trade practice, OP is minting lot of money from all customers.”

One Dinesh Parshad Raturi filed the consumer complaint after being billed Rs 402 for a pair of shoes he bought from the Bata outlet for Rs 399.

The order further stated, “We had also a glance to the carry bag which is annexed with the consumer complaint in which advertisement of Bata Company was being published as it has been printed in red words “Bata Surprisingly Stylish” which shows that Bata Company is stylish in nature and used the consumer as if he is the advertisement agent of Opposite Party.”