Liquor shop asked to pay Rs 11,000 for not issuing bill as per rule

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed a liquor shop to pay Rs 11,000 as compensation and litigation costs to a resident for not issuing a bill for beer as per the provisions of consumer protection rules and termed it as unfair practice.

Vishal Singal, a resident of Panchkula, in the complaint filed before the commission said that he had purchased four pints of Hopper Witbier (beer) on July 10, 2023 from Liquor Estate and paid Rs 280. July 11, 2023, in the same store. The next day he experienced discomfort, stomach pain and nausea and also showed symptoms of food poisoning.

He alleged that the beers they sold him were old, stale and expired and were not suitable for human consumption. He said that the beer bottles did not contain any maximum retail price, any import date or contact number of the importer and distributor etc.

On the other hand, the store owner’s lawyer denied the charges. He maintained that the complainant had not provided any evidence to show that the beer had been purchased from the store. Further, the receipt attached by the complainant showed that he had purchased four beers from a shop in Mani Majra, but nowhere was it indicated which beer he had purchased.

After hearing the arguments, the commission said that the medical reports and tests did not prove that the plaintiff suffered from food poisoning due solely to the consumption of beer. “But the invoice is not in the format prescribed under Rule 5 of the Consumer Protection (General) Rules, 2020. As per the rule, the invoice must contain the name and address of the seller, consecutive serial number, date of its issuance, name of the consumer, description of the goods or services, quantity, discounts and signature of the seller or his authorized representative, etc.,” he said.

“A careful reading of the records showed that the bill did not comply with the rule mentioned above. Therefore, the store owner has engaged in an unfair trade practice,” he added. The commission said in view of this, the shop owner was directed to pay Rs 6,000 to the complainant as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment and Rs 5,000 as litigation cost.