Consumer court awards Rs25,000 compensation, imposes Rs25,000 fine; terms practice ‘unfair trade’
PESHAWAR:
A consumer protection court has accepted a complaint against a leading clothing brand, directing the company to refund Rs30 charged to a customer for a shopping bag, pay her Rs25,000 in compensation, and deposit a fine of Rs25,000 to the government.
Consumer Case No 84/CC of 2026 was decided by Judge Nasrullah Khan Gandapur of the Consumer Protection Court, who heard arguments from the complainant’s counsel, Ahsan Sardar, and the brand’s counsel, Muhammad Omea.
The complainant, Shafaq Aamir, had filed the case on February 14 under Section 13 of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Consumer Protection Act, 1997, alleging that on December 20, 2025, she purchased clothing worth Rs7,000 from the outlet of the clothing brand on Peshawar’s University Road and was additionally charged Rs30 for a carrying bag printed with the brand’s promotional logo.
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The respondent did not deny the allegation, but contended that it was not obligated to provide bags free of cost and offered them only on specific customer demand.
In his judgment, Judge Gandapur observed that the receipt annexed with the complaint clearly showed the extra Rs30 charge, and that customers were under the belief that purchased items would be delivered in a carrying bag without charges.
The court observed that the bag, bearing the brand’s logo, was “obviously provided for promotion of the brand and that too at the cost of the consumers,” noting that the company would otherwise have to provide ordinary bags to customers.
“The respondent not only charged the complainant an extra amount but also used the bag for promotion of its brand,” the judgment read, holding the practice to be an unfair trade practice under Section 2(O) (Unfair trade practice (xii) advertising for the sale or supply (xiii) creating the impression that something is being given or offered free of charge) of the act.
The decision was announced on September 16 after the court perused the record and heard both sides under Section 14(2)(b) of the Act. The file has been consigned to the record room after completion.
