IKEA-Hyderabad fined for charging money on carry bag

Hyderabad, August 17: A consumer court in Telangana has asked IKEA India in Hyderabad to refund and further compensate a customer who complained about being charged for a carry bag featuring the IKEA logo when he visited the store in January 2020. The complainant, a 35-year-old law student Kevin Sukirthy from Secunderabad, had filed a complaint against IKEA Hyderabad under Section 12 of The Consumer Protection Act after he was charged Rs 20 for a carry bag, saying he “suffered mental agony due to deficiency of service”, and alleging that the bag advertising IKEA’s brand name at consumers’ cost amounts to unfair trade practice.

The Ranga Reddy district consumer disputes redressal commission directed IKEA to stop charging for carry bags containing the company’s logo, to refund the Rs 20 charged for the bag to the complainant, to further pay Rs 1000 as compensation for mental agony, and to deposit Rs 5000 in the Consumer Legal Aid Account as a token of creating awareness of The Consumer Protection Act.

The complainant Kevin told the commission that he visited the store on January 26, 2020, and purchased a few items worth Rs 1071. As he didn’t have a bag with him, the person at the billing counter asked if he wanted a bag, and “having no other option, he had to purchase the carry bag,” his complaint said. He said he later noticed that the bag had the IKEA logo and he was charged Rs 20 for it and went on to file a complaint, contending that IKEA charging for a bag with its logo printed on it amounts to unfair trade practice “as the same is restricted as per the Apex court in a catena of consumer cases.”

In its response to the commission, IKEA India said that customers are charged for such bags only with prior consent and that the complainant had expressed willingness and accepted to purchase the bag for Rs 20. The company denied the allegations that the complainant was not informed that the bag was chargeable and had the logo at the time of billing.

IKEA also said it sells paper carry bags displayed as any other product, and also that most of their products are already packed and that customers are provided with trolleys in which they’re allowed to take their purchased products to the parking space or the store’s exit. IKEA also contended that it has mentioned about the carry bags on display boards at its entry gate, on its website, and at billing counters of its stores.

The commissioner in its order dated July 18, 2022, said that IKEA “is not allowed to charge for carry bags, that too, when it contains a logo” of the company, “which certainly amounts to unfair trade practice” on IKEA’s part. The commission said that IKEA’s contention that it has displayed that plastic carry bags will be charged for at its entrance gate goes against the company, as the bags contain its logo.

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