Fitness firm told to return fee for closing Khar unit

The District Consumer Forum has directed VLCC Healthcare limited to return the money to one of its members who could not complete her training due to a mishap in the company’s Khar centre leading to it closure.

A division bench of president JL Deshpande and member Deepa Bidnuskar directed the company to pay complainant Deshdeep Chopra within six weeks. According to the complaint, Chopra had joined the VLLC centre at Khar in February 2008. She had opted for a 45-day plan and paid a membership fee of Rs27,341. The centre closed down after Chopra visited it for three sittings.

The company’s officials informed that she could either continue her classes at one of their other centres or wait until a new centre was started at Khar. Chopra refused to go elsewhere. The company did not start the centre at Khar and Chopra sought for a refund.

The VLCC sent Chopra a cheque of Rs25,247. However, the complainant returned the cheque as it was drawn in the name of Deepa Chopra.  The VLCC informed the forum that as per their records the complaint’s name was registered as Deepa Chopra. The forum accepted the argument put forth by Chopra. Since VLCC offered to make the refund payment, the forum directed them to do so at the earliest. With regards to the compensation of Rs1 lakh claimed by Chopra for the mental agony caused to her, the forum said “Chopra had not insisted that corrections be made in the company records at the time of issuing the payment receipt thus she was not entitled for it.”