Chennai: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (South) directed a private school management to refund donation and tuition fees collected from a person for admitting his child in the first standard and directed the management to pay a compensation of Rs 30,000 for causing mental agony to him and for deficiency in service.
In a petition, Vijay Srinivasalu, Mandavelipakkam, Chennai, stated that he had got admission for his child Sarisha Vijay in the first standard at Smart Kids’ School, Mandaveli, for 2012-2013. He paid Rs 39,700 as admission fees and other charges and Rs 50,000 towards donation for securing admission to Sarisha. However, the management gave a receipt only for the admission fees.
The school was scheduled to reopen on July 26, 2012. Meanwhile, due to an unforeseen development, Vijay Srinivasalu was directed to go abroad for an onsite assignment. Before the re-opening of the school, he sent a letter to the principal, seeking a refund of the payments.
The principal sent a reply stating that fees once paid could not be refunded. Hence, he filed a petition in the Forum, claiming that the act of the principal amounts to unfair trade practice and deficiency in service.
The forum sent a notice to the principal. The management failed to appear and did not file a reply. The forum comprising president V. Gopal and member L. Deenadayalan observed, “there was unfair trade practice and deficiency in service on the part of the school management”.
The Forum directed the management to refund Rs 89,700, collected as donation, tuition fees and other fees from the petitioner. The Forum also directed the school management to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 for causing mental agony and Rs 5,000 towards costs, the amounts payable within six weeks.
