'Pay Rs 26,700 for your blunder'

NEW DELHI: A surgical clinic has been taken to task for its false assurance by the Delhi Consumer Commission, which asked it to pay Rs 26,700 to a girl who got no relief despite two years of treatment for her facial hair.
   
"In spite of undergoing treatment for more than two years, there was no improvement. It leaves no manner of doubt that the clinic was highly deficient or negligent in services," the Commission's President Justice J D Kapoor said.
   
Dismissing the appeal of Lajpat Nagar-based M/s Surgical Laser Clinic, the Commission noted that for its deficiency, it was liable to pay not only the refund of the cost of treatment, which was totally non-yielding, but also a compensation for its false assurance to Kalpana Vedmitra.
   
It also expressed strong displeasure over the clinic's reluctance to pay up after Vedmitra told the Commission that in place of receiving relief, her problem of facial hair got worsened during the prolonged treatment.
   
"Where a consumer goes for treatment for a problem, his minimum expectation is that he would get some relief. If instead of any relief, the problem worsens and deteriorates, it is unjust and unconscionable," it said in a recent order.
   
The Commission also refused to buy the clinic's argument that the money was not refundable after the medication starts, holding that it could not be allowed to take advantage of such a clause as it had failed to accord the assured result to her.
   
Vedmitra, troubled by growth of her facial hair, had paid Rs 14,700 to the clinic but she found no sign of relief even after two years of continuous treatment.
   
As her complaints were not attended properly, she had asked her money back but the laser clinic refused to refund the cost of the treatment, prompting her to file a consumer case.