HOTEL FORGETS TO SERVE 6 ITEMS, GETS EGG ON ITS FACE
Outdoor catering division of a premier hotel fails to serve six dishes decided for menu at a function attended by 400 guests. Embarrassed NRG drags hotel to consumer court, wins case
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, August 07, 2013 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20130807201308070230362312efede9e/HOTEL-FORGETS-TO-SERVE-6-ITEMS-GETS-EGG-ON-ITS-FACE.html)
It is a sweet victory for Dahyabhai Patel. The 65-yearold NRI who was shortchanged by a premier hotel in the city has finally won his battle through the consumer forum. According to Patel, The Grand Bhagwati (TGB) failed to serve some of the dishes which were part of the menu at a function organised in January 2011. On July 13, 2013, the forum ordered TGB to pay the complainant Rs 50,000 with 9 per cent interest and Rs 10,000 extra for mental harassment and towards legal charges.
EVENT ATTENDED BY NRIS
The retired school principal who is settled in the US has been a frequent visitor to the city. In January 2011, he decided to organise his grandson’s mundan ceremony in Ahmedabad. Having received rave reviews about The Grand Bhagwati’s catering, Dahyabhai booked Sindhu Bhavan for January 16, 2011. The event was to be attended by around 400 guests, many of them NRIs from the UK and the US. “I met the managers Bhavar Lal and Ravina on January 1 and we decided on the menu. The price for each plate was fixed at Rs 500 with 5.15 per cent service charge. So I made an advance payment of Rs 1.50 lakh,” said Dahyabhai.
‘THEY DESTROYED MY REPUTATION’
Set to welcome his guests and treat them to delicacies, Dahyabhai was in for a rude shock when he discovered that many items, promised in the menu, were missing from the dinner buffet. “Six items were not served in the buffet. They failed to serve jalebi rabri, majoone, creamy Russian salad, Kalmi chat, Lilwa cone and lachhedaar pudina parantha. My reputation was in shambles,” said the senior citizen. “I had decided to order food from The Grand Bhagwati because of its reputation and they destroyed mine,” he added.
“I decided to bring the matter to the authorities’ notice and went to meet the hotel managers the next day on January 17. However, they made me wait for four hours, after which, a representative walked up to me and tendered a verbal apology,” Dahyabhai said. When his written complaint was not acknowledged by the hotel, Dahyabhai decided to demand return of cash (Rs 1.50 lakh) and compensation for mental harassment. In July 2012, he filed a complaint against TGB at Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Ahmedabad (Rural).
Dahyabhai substantiated his complaint with video recordings of the ceremony which had footage of the buffet. His lawyer Ankur Oza, also provided copies of the written complaints which TGB had ignored. On the contrary, TGB asked Patel to pay them the remaining Rs 60,300. The forum sent a number of notices to the hotel but there was no response. The hotel’s apathy towards the situation prompted the forum to pass a ruling in the case recently.
The order stated that Dahyabhai had made the a payment of Rs 1.50 lakh in advance and TGB had failed to serve only six out of the decided dishes so the complainant would not get back the full amount. Moreover, the complainant could not substantiate his claim of damaged reputation either. The forum ruled that the hotel must pay Rs 50,000 to Dahyabhai for the dishes they had not served, with 9 per cent interest and also pay Rs 5,000 each for mental harassment and towards legal expenses.
Meanwhile, Narendra Somani, Chairman of TGB said, “The complainant changed the menu almost seven times. The final change could not be communicated to the concerned department which delivered as per the last received menu. We have no knowledge about the consumer forum’s order. The senior citizen is doing this for publicity. Why did he change the menu so many times?” However, Dahyabhai responded, “I had initially decided on the menu where each plate cost Rs 350. But later I opted for the Rs 500-per-plate menu. As a customer, it is my right to make changes. If the hotel did not communicate the change to the responsible department, it is their mistake. Even the bill shows they charged me Rs 500 per plate.”
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, August 07, 2013 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20130807201308070230362312efede9e/HOTEL-FORGETS-TO-SERVE-6-ITEMS-GETS-EGG-ON-ITS-FACE.html)
It is a sweet victory for Dahyabhai Patel. The 65-yearold NRI who was shortchanged by a premier hotel in the city has finally won his battle through the consumer forum. According to Patel, The Grand Bhagwati (TGB) failed to serve some of the dishes which were part of the menu at a function organised in January 2011. On July 13, 2013, the forum ordered TGB to pay the complainant Rs 50,000 with 9 per cent interest and Rs 10,000 extra for mental harassment and towards legal charges.
EVENT ATTENDED BY NRIS
The retired school principal who is settled in the US has been a frequent visitor to the city. In January 2011, he decided to organise his grandson’s mundan ceremony in Ahmedabad. Having received rave reviews about The Grand Bhagwati’s catering, Dahyabhai booked Sindhu Bhavan for January 16, 2011. The event was to be attended by around 400 guests, many of them NRIs from the UK and the US. “I met the managers Bhavar Lal and Ravina on January 1 and we decided on the menu. The price for each plate was fixed at Rs 500 with 5.15 per cent service charge. So I made an advance payment of Rs 1.50 lakh,” said Dahyabhai.
‘THEY DESTROYED MY REPUTATION’
Set to welcome his guests and treat them to delicacies, Dahyabhai was in for a rude shock when he discovered that many items, promised in the menu, were missing from the dinner buffet. “Six items were not served in the buffet. They failed to serve jalebi rabri, majoone, creamy Russian salad, Kalmi chat, Lilwa cone and lachhedaar pudina parantha. My reputation was in shambles,” said the senior citizen. “I had decided to order food from The Grand Bhagwati because of its reputation and they destroyed mine,” he added.
“I decided to bring the matter to the authorities’ notice and went to meet the hotel managers the next day on January 17. However, they made me wait for four hours, after which, a representative walked up to me and tendered a verbal apology,” Dahyabhai said. When his written complaint was not acknowledged by the hotel, Dahyabhai decided to demand return of cash (Rs 1.50 lakh) and compensation for mental harassment. In July 2012, he filed a complaint against TGB at Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Ahmedabad (Rural).
Dahyabhai substantiated his complaint with video recordings of the ceremony which had footage of the buffet. His lawyer Ankur Oza, also provided copies of the written complaints which TGB had ignored. On the contrary, TGB asked Patel to pay them the remaining Rs 60,300. The forum sent a number of notices to the hotel but there was no response. The hotel’s apathy towards the situation prompted the forum to pass a ruling in the case recently.
The order stated that Dahyabhai had made the a payment of Rs 1.50 lakh in advance and TGB had failed to serve only six out of the decided dishes so the complainant would not get back the full amount. Moreover, the complainant could not substantiate his claim of damaged reputation either. The forum ruled that the hotel must pay Rs 50,000 to Dahyabhai for the dishes they had not served, with 9 per cent interest and also pay Rs 5,000 each for mental harassment and towards legal expenses.
Meanwhile, Narendra Somani, Chairman of TGB said, “The complainant changed the menu almost seven times. The final change could not be communicated to the concerned department which delivered as per the last received menu. We have no knowledge about the consumer forum’s order. The senior citizen is doing this for publicity. Why did he change the menu so many times?” However, Dahyabhai responded, “I had initially decided on the menu where each plate cost Rs 350. But later I opted for the Rs 500-per-plate menu. As a customer, it is my right to make changes. If the hotel did not communicate the change to the responsible department, it is their mistake. Even the bill shows they charged me Rs 500 per plate.”
