Case:
In an interesting legal dispute, ICICI Bank was recently mandated to compensate a customer from Chennai who was denied reward points. Following the customer's fight, the bank awarded Rs 41,691 in reward points and an additional Rs 35,000 for service deficiency. This ruling underscores consumers' entitlement to seek compensation for subpar services.
Facts of the Case:
The dispute arose when D Sylvester Arokiaraj made a jewelry purchase worth Rs 8.89 lakh on Amazon using his ICICI credit card in March 2021. According to the online retailer's offer, Arokiaraj was entitled to receive 41,961 reward points, equivalent to Rs 41,961. However, these points were not reflected in his monthly bank statement.
Despite Arokiaraj's repeated complaints, ICICI Bank failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Two weeks later, his credit card was unexpectedly blocked without prior notice. Arokiaraj then filed a petition with the District (Kancheepuram) Consumer Disputes Grievance Redressal Commission, asserting that the transaction was purely for personal use and did not result in any outstanding payment default.
In response to the petition, ICICI Bank informed Arokiaraj that the card was blocked and reward points were withheld because the purchase was categorized as 'business or commercial' use. The bank contended that gold purchases on Amazon were not eligible for rewards. However, Arokiaraj argued before the commission that the transaction was indeed for personal use and did not violate any terms.
Decision of the Court:
After the bank's lack of response to subsequent complaints and failure to appear before the commission, the commission decided to address Arokiaraj's complaint and ordered ICICI Bank to compensate him for the denied reward points and the inconvenience caused. In total, the bank was directed to pay Rs 76,691 as compensation.
In an interesting legal dispute, ICICI Bank was recently mandated to compensate a customer from Chennai who was denied reward points. Following the customer's fight, the bank awarded Rs 41,691 in reward points and an additional Rs 35,000 for service deficiency. This ruling underscores consumers' entitlement to seek compensation for subpar services.
Facts of the Case:
The dispute arose when D Sylvester Arokiaraj made a jewelry purchase worth Rs 8.89 lakh on Amazon using his ICICI credit card in March 2021. According to the online retailer's offer, Arokiaraj was entitled to receive 41,961 reward points, equivalent to Rs 41,961. However, these points were not reflected in his monthly bank statement.
Despite Arokiaraj's repeated complaints, ICICI Bank failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Two weeks later, his credit card was unexpectedly blocked without prior notice. Arokiaraj then filed a petition with the District (Kancheepuram) Consumer Disputes Grievance Redressal Commission, asserting that the transaction was purely for personal use and did not result in any outstanding payment default.
In response to the petition, ICICI Bank informed Arokiaraj that the card was blocked and reward points were withheld because the purchase was categorized as 'business or commercial' use. The bank contended that gold purchases on Amazon were not eligible for rewards. However, Arokiaraj argued before the commission that the transaction was indeed for personal use and did not violate any terms.
Decision of the Court:
After the bank's lack of response to subsequent complaints and failure to appear before the commission, the commission decided to address Arokiaraj's complaint and ordered ICICI Bank to compensate him for the denied reward points and the inconvenience caused. In total, the bank was directed to pay Rs 76,691 as compensation.
