LAHORE:
A consumer court on Wednesday issued a notice for May 15 to the chief executive of the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club and the manager of one of its banquet halls in a suit seeking Rs1 million in damages for providing defective services during a wedding function.
Petitioner Muhammad Shakil Nasir submitted that he booked the Fairways Hall at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club on February 25 for his daughter’s wedding. He said the Hall was on the fourth floor and he was told that it could hold 250 guests.
He said he paid Rs332,000 for food and other arrangements at the time of booking. One week later he paid another Rs65,000 to the manager of the banquet hall for the services of a contractor to decorate the hall.
He said that at the time of booking he was told that a lift would be available for his guests.
The petitioner said that on the day of the function as his guests started arriving, the lift malfunctioned. He said the club staff made it functional. However, after a while the lift again stopped working. He said some of his guests were trapped in the lift. He added that the wedding party arrived at 8pm but the lift was still not operational.
The club management, the petitioner said, directed them to use another lift 100 yards away from the first one. He said that lift was for another hall so he and his gusts were told to stand aside as guests for that hall were given first priority to use the lift. He said he was humiliated and embarrassed.
Nasir said there was space for only four people in the lift and 40 per cent of his guests were over 60.
He said it was unjust and unfair that the club administration switched off the lights at 10pm without informing them. He said they could not perform some of the wedding riutals.
He prayed the court to direct the respondents to pay Rs700,000 as damages for mental torture, Rs250,000 for loss of goodwill and reputation and Rs50,000 as counsel fee.
The court issued notice to the respondents for May 15.
Shehbaz Alvi, the manager of Fairways Hall, said the petitioner had concocted a story. He said the lift was not working but the petitioner was provided with an alternative. He added that the petitioner was informed when he was booking the hall that there were instructions from the government regarding the time when functions must end. Alvi said they would fight the petitioner in court.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
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I appreciate the litigation...take the matters to the courts....!!
Marriages of daughters in Subcontinent is lavish waste of hard earned money. That another question if its really hard earned money.
I thought 10pm deadline was the law, I'm with the club on this one but the lift fiasco is unacceptable and 1 Million is peanuts to the humiliation, they must be demanded to pay 10 Million at least!
Such bad service. I hope they pay through the nose.
The petitioner must be redressed. one can imagine the humiliation he would have faced. But one thing is confusing, by 10 pm the marriage rituals were not completed, was'nt it a muslim marriage that only comprise of Nikah.