Chandigarh Elante Mall Store Fined ₹31,000 for Deficient Consumer Service

Setting a stern precedent against retail negligence and unfair commercial conduct, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has held the Columbia Care retail outlet located in the prominent Nexus Elante Mall guilty of gross deficiency in service. The judicial bench has directed the apparel retailer to pay an aggregate sum of ₹31,000 to an aggrieved shopper who was sold a torn premium winter jacket worth ₹11,000. In its verdict, the consumer court ordered the retail brand to not only refund the full purchase price of the damaged outerwear along with applicable interest but also slapped an additional ₹20,000 liability to cover mental agony, consumer harassment, and formal litigation expenses incurred by the resident.Sector 11 Resident's Plight: ₹26,997 Purchase Ends in Dismissed Defect GrievanceThe legal confrontation arose following a formal consumer complaint registered by Sauhard, a resident of Sector 11 in Chandigarh. As per the case proceedings, the complainant visited the Columbia Care store inside Elante Mall on December 25, 2025, purchasing three high-end jackets for a combined billing amount of ₹26,997. The transaction included a Delta Ridge down jacket billed individually at ₹10,999. However, when the customer attempted to wear the outerwear, he noticed a significant tear concealed along the underarm seam. When the buyer immediately notified the store management via email seeking an exchange or refund, the outlet summarily rejected the grievance, insisting that the customer had thoroughly inspected the product prior to purchase and was exclusively responsible for the fabric damage.Absence of Expert Evidence: Consumer Forum Blasts Outlet for Unfair Trade PracticeThe adjudicating bench—headed by Commission Chairman Amarinder Singh Sidhu alongside Member BM Sharma—categorically rejected the store's defense that the buyer caused the damage. The Commission highlighted that the retailer failed to furnish any independent technical inspection report, textile forensic analysis, or expert assessment to validate their accusation against the patron. Furthermore, the bench observed that the tear was positioned directly under the armpit seam, rendering it a latent manufacturing flaw that would not be readily visible during standard retail checkout inspection. Declaring that the store’s outright dismissal of a genuine defect constituted blatant deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, the Commission mandated the immediate disbursal of ₹31,000 in total restitution to restore consumer trust.