A consumer named Sangeetha Bohra in Bangalore was charged Rs 20 by Ikea for a carry bag with the company logo. The consumer filed a complaint against IKEA in the consumer court and won a refund as well as Rs 3,000 as compensation for harassment.

The consumer court held that Ikea was guilty of unfair trade practice. It noted that the seller has to bear all expenses involving putting the goods in a deliverable state for the customer.

The TOI reported that Sangeetha Bohra visited the Ikea store at Nagasandra on October 6, 2022. She purchased goods worth Rs 2,428 and after billing, learnt that she had been charged Rs 20 for a carry bag with Ikea branding.

Bohra questioned the staff about why she needed to pay for a branded bag despite making purchases, and demanded that bags be given free of cost to customers. With the store staff standing their ground, she had no choice but to buy the bag for Rs 20.

Stating that forcing customers to buy bags with the printed logo of the brand amounts to advertising which is spurious and an unfair trade practice, she sent Ikea a legal notice on October 17, 2022. The company replied to her that there is nothing unfair in making customers purchase bags with their logo and refused a refund.

In March 2023, Bohra approached the Bengaluru Urban first additional district consumer disputes redressal commission in Shantinagar with a complaint against Ikea India Pvt Ltd.

Ikea’s counsel said the complaint was false, frivolous, vexatious and liable to be dismissed. There is no direct or indirect compulsion for customers to buy paper bags and there is nothing suspicious about its sale with no hidden charges, it was argued.

Service deficiency

In their verdict pronounced on October 4, 2023, the judges of the Bengaluru consumer forum said all kinds of expenses incurred in order to put goods into a deliverable state shall be suffered by the seller and therefore, Ikea’s contention doesn’t merit acceptance. If purchasing carry bag is made optional, the customer can’t bring bags for each and every item. Expressing shock over the attitude of big showrooms and malls in this regard, the judges said Ikea had committed service deficiency and unfair trade practice, and the customer needed to be suitably compensated.

The court ordered Ikea India Pvt Ltd to refund with interest the Rs 20 collected for the bag, apart from paying Rs 1,000 to the customer as compensation for harassment and causing mental agony as well as Rs 2,000 towards her court expenses. All the money needs to be paid within 30 days from the date of order.