New Delhi, Sept 6: Beauty-cum-fitness centre VLCC Health Care Ltd has been ordered to pay Rs 25,000 to a woman for failing to help her shed her weight and then refusing to refund her money as per its promise.
Relying on the woman's un-challenged version of the facts, the New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said there was no reason to disbelieve her contentions as VLCC did not contest the complaint.
The forum added the fitness centre should have refunded a major portion of her money as she did not attend all weight loss sessions.
"We have considered the evidence. In the absence of any version from opposite party (VLCC), there is nothing to disbelieve the depositions made by her (Mrs Noor).
"However, keeping in view the fact that complainant (Mrs Noor) attended few services and availed services for some time, till she decided to abandon and did not avail full term services for reasons mentioned, opposite party should have returned major portion of charges.
"In our view, refund of Rs 20,000 would meet the ends of justice. We award Rs 5,000 for litigation expenses," the bench presided by C K Chaturvedi said.
In her complaint, Mrs Noor had said she had joined VLCC's weight loss programme on the basis of advertisements and the advice received from its marketing executives and had paid Rs 29,818 for the same.
The executives had also assured her that if she is not satisfied with the VLCC's services, her entire amount would be refunded, she had alleged.
She had also alleged as a result of the weight loss treatment she had suffered from a number of health problems like, increase in heart beat, dark patches on the skin which caused irritation, etc., and she also gained weight instead of losing it.
