Comments
Is your soft drink vendor taking you for a cool ride?
Simit Bhagat | TNN (Times of India - 8th May 2010)
Mumbai: How many times have you shelled out more than the MRP on a bottle of soft drink or milk as “cooling’’ charges? Well, if the answer is several times, you can take a cue from residents of Mumbai and Thane, who have lodged a complaint with the state legal metrology department (LMD) against shopkeepers who take consumers for a ride.
Going by the data compiled by the LMD, between April 2009 and March 2010, 53 cases were slapped on shopkeepers, who were found charging more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on soft drink bottles. The department has also booked another 96 of them for “fleecing’’ people buying milk bottles and cartons.
The accused shopkeepers were found violating the Standards of Weights and Measures Rules, 1987. Under the rules, it is an offence to sell a packaged commodity at a rate higher than its MRP and removing any such information or label from the packet. However, the rule does not apply to packaged products sold at restaurants, where the product is served and hence attracts, service charges.
Ankush Dhanvijay, controller of LMD, says, “Many shopkeepers ask consumers to pay extra on cold drink bottles as cooling charges. But it is an offence to sell a packaged commodity, including cold drinks and milk bottles, at a price higher than their MRPs. As many people are not aware of the rules, the shopkeepers exploit them.’’
Bottling It Up
If you are overcharged, you can:
Lodge a complaint with the state LMD control room on [protected], [protected]
Post the bills to the controller of LMD with a mention of the date and time of purchase and the name of the shop. Address: Controller of Legal Metrology, Maharashtra State Mumbai, Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021
Lodge an online complaint at http://legalmetrology.maharashtra.gov.in/
Check before buying:
Label on any packaged commodity, MRP
Name, address of manufacturer, packer
Standard name of the product, net weight, month of manufacturing, packaging, importing
Simit Bhagat | TNN (Times of India - 8th May 2010)
Mumbai: How many times have you shelled out more than the MRP on a bottle of soft drink or milk as “cooling’’ charges? Well, if the answer is several times, you can take a cue from residents of Mumbai and Thane, who have lodged a complaint with the state legal metrology department (LMD) against shopkeepers who take consumers for a ride.
Going by the data compiled by the LMD, between April 2009 and March 2010, 53 cases were slapped on shopkeepers, who were found charging more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on soft drink bottles. The department has also booked another 96 of them for “fleecing’’ people buying milk bottles and cartons.
The accused shopkeepers were found violating the Standards of Weights and Measures Rules, 1987. Under the rules, it is an offence to sell a packaged commodity at a rate higher than its MRP and removing any such information or label from the packet. However, the rule does not apply to packaged products sold at restaurants, where the product is served and hence attracts, service charges.
Ankush Dhanvijay, controller of LMD, says, “Many shopkeepers ask consumers to pay extra on cold drink bottles as cooling charges. But it is an offence to sell a packaged commodity, including cold drinks and milk bottles, at a price higher than their MRPs. As many people are not aware of the rules, the shopkeepers exploit them.’’
Bottling It Up
If you are overcharged, you can:
Lodge a complaint with the state LMD control room on [protected], [protected]
Post the bills to the controller of LMD with a mention of the date and time of purchase and the name of the shop. Address: Controller of Legal Metrology, Maharashtra State Mumbai, Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021
Lodge an online complaint at http://legalmetrology.maharashtra.gov.in/
Check before buying:
Label on any packaged commodity, MRP
Name, address of manufacturer, packer
Standard name of the product, net weight, month of manufacturing, packaging, importing
Cold drinks — excess money charged
it has been oberved that all shops irrespective of class has been charging Rs2/ extra per bottle. Is it legal. No one is ready to give bills for the same. what should I do. whom to complaint