Should you go to consumer court? A new book on consumer rights attempts to de-mystify the filing-a-consumer-complaint process

The January air had a slight nip to it, made sharper by the sea breeze at the Madhuli lawns in Worli behind Poonam Chambers. It was an occasion when Mumbai's glitterati could bring out their pricey shawls and put on designer three-piece suits. The launch of writer Rajyalakshmi Rao, former member & judge, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission) and Nabankur Gupta's book, Consumer Rights and You was a glittering affair, leading a panellist at the launch to say in jest, "This very elite crowd may not need consumer courts. They could just go and buy another Mercedes if the one they have develops faults." Rao said with humourous candour in her opening address, "Some of you have come here because I have bullied you to come" while writer Nabankur Gupta compared the book to a made-to-measure Raymonds suit. While the book is for consumers it also touched on corporate concerns.


The benz club: The glitterati in attendance at the book release. The
audience chuckled at legal observations and off-court asides that proved
consumer matters are not always dullu00a0

Here are some excerpts from Consumer Rights and You. Cases are culled from different chapters in the book.u00a0

In a chapter called Education Worries, the writers state as introduction:
In India, unfortunately, education is so commercialized that students are compelled to pay hefty donations, large security deposits, high tuition fees and hidden costs for building and development charges. Many institutions are run by fly-by night operators and students are being cheated. Many other institutions give false advertisements, making students believe that the institution has the required reputation and affiliation. The aggrieved students are put to misery later as examinations are not held on time, results are not declared for months or even years, certificates are not issued and their degree/diploma is not recognized.