The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed Drools Pet Food Private Limited, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to a city woman after she found live worms and insects in a food packet purchased for her dog.
The commission has also directed the company to refund Rs 540 (being the value of the food product) to the complainant along with interest at 6 per cent each year with effect from the date of purchase till actual realisation.
Himani Jamwal, a city resident, filed the complaint, pleading that she is the owner of a seven-year-old Black Labrador, for whom she purchased “Drools Absolute Calcium (sausages)” along with some other pet articles from M/s Modern Store, Chandigarh, vide a bill dated April 28, 2023.
However, on May 7, 2023, when she opened the seal of one of the pieces of the article to feed her pet, she found it to be rotten and infested with live worms/insects.
She immediately clicked pictures/photographs as well as videos of the rotten merchandise and called the customer care number available on the website as well as on the box of the product.
She also sent a message on WhatsApp and even wrote an email seeking redressal.
Alleging that the acts amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, she filed the complaint.
The company denied the allegations.
In its reply, the company said that the complainant had purchased the product, but the manner in which the product was supposed to be kept (as directed on the package of the subject product), i.e. stored in a cool and dry place in order to ascertain the requisite integrity of the product, was not complied with at the complainant’s end, which subsequently might have resulted in loss of integrity of the sausage, making it prone to infestation by worms.
After hearing the arguments, the commission said that the company failed to prove how the complainant mishandled the product or that she did not keep it in a cool and dry place. In view of this, the company was held guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice by selling a defective food product meant for pets.
The company has been ordered to refund Rs 540, the cost of the product, to the complainant along with interest at 6 per cent per annum. It has also been directed to pay Rs 10,000 towards compensation for the harassment suffered by the complainant and to cover litigation expenses.
