Chandigarh, January 6
Charging extra for the loss of a parking slip has cost the Nexus Elante mall dear.
The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, UT Chandigarh, has directed the Nexus Elante mall and Secure Parking Solutions, Mumbai, to pay Rs 3,000 to a local resident as compensation for charging extra after he lost his parking slip. The commission has also directed for the refund of Rs 200 charged as penalty from Jatin Bansal, a resident of Sector 9-D.
In a complaint filed through advocate Sahil Sharma, Bansal said he visited the mall on October 9, 2021, and parked his car in the underground parking of the mall. He lost the parking ticket and was made to pay Rs 200 extra at the exit. He said the production of parking ticket is not essential as the company had installed the FASTag scanner at the exit and the vehicles having the sticker can exit the parking area without producing the ticket and the fee was deducted automatically.
Counsel for the opposite parties said in case of loss of parking ticket, due procedure was followed by the management of the parking space according to the terms and conditions. Therefore, there was no unfair contract or unfair trade practice on their part.
After hearing of the arguments, the commission observed though it was mentioned in the parking ticket that it was mandatory to be produced at the exit point, yet there was no mention of any specific amount in the terms and conditions to be charged in case of loss of the parking ticket. When the complainant lost the parking ticket but produced the relevant documents to prove his ownership of the vehicle, charging a penalty of Rs 200 was uncalled for.
It seems the parking ticket is used only for claiming the charges for utilising the parking space, and the parking contractor is not taking any responsibility for theft of the vehicle/valuables lying in it or any damage to the vehicle, as has been mentioned in the parking receipt. Therefore, service provided by the opposite parties is certainly deficient, due to which the complainant suffered harassment.
