Wedding hall owner fined for fleecing ‘helpless’ client

Consumer court slaps on Rs200,000 fine while ordering owner to return extra amount charged for pandemic wedding

KARACHI:

A consumer court in Karachi on Thursday fined a wedding hall Rs200,000 while also ordering the owner to return the extra amount he charged from the petitioner for a wedding that took place during the pandemic.

The petitioner had booked the wedding hall for his daughter's wedding in 2021. The petitioner and defendant had agreed to the amount of Rs450,000 for 500 guests. This amounts to Rs900 per guest.

However, the government issued coronavirus restrictions limiting the number of guests at a wedding to 300. The petitioner communicated the same to the wedding hall owner that the payment would be revised in light of 300 guests.

In response, the wedding hall owner threatened not to allow the use of the wedding hall unless the petitioner paid the amount for 500 guests even if the number of those in attendance would be 300.

The client had to pay the extra amount of Rs180,000 in order for the wedding to take place at the hall.

The court ordered the owner of the wedding hall to return the Rs180,000 to the petitioner and fined the wedding hall Rs200,000. The court ordered the defendant to pay all dues within 30 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2023.