Consumer forum asks Agarwal Packers & Movers to pay Rs 7 lakh for damaged goods

HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Redressal Commission ordered Agarwal Packers and Movers to pay Rs 3 lakh in insurance and Rs 4 lakh in compensation for causing damage to their customers' household items during shifting.

Vishwanath Tiwari, 54, a resident of Secunderabad's S.D. Road, had engaged the opposing party, Agarwal Packers and Movers, for the shifting of his household items from Hyderabad to his new home in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Agarwal Packers and Movers agreed to charge Rs.80,500 for packaging, shipping, storage and delivery of personal things and Rs.3,000 per month for storage of personal belongings in their warehouse from May 2021 to mid-September 2021.

The packers evaluated the worth of the personal goods at more than Rs.10,00,000 and promised to deliver the personal belongings in accordance with Vishwanath Tiwari's specifications.

The complainant approved the packing and shipping of goods worth more than Rs 10,00,000, which includes a 3 percent transit insurance, trusting the services of Agarwal Packers and Movers.

Vishwanath Tiwari reportedly demanded that the goods be delivered after paying the necessary storage charges of Rs.12,000 on August 31, 2021 and Rs.1,600 on September 16, 2021. A majority of the products, much to the complainant's surprise, had been partially or entirely damaged and were no longer useful.

Vishwanath Tiwari immediately filed a complaint using the packers' WhatsApp number, and they agreed to send a surveyor on September 18, 2021, and the surveyor acknowledged the goods that were entirely damaged.

Vishwanath Tiwari received an email from the packers on September 23, 2021, offering to settle the value of damages for Rs.8,000, which was not even the cost of a single item among the total things damaged during the shifting process.

The court took note of the surveyor's report, which stated that 12 items were damaged in transit. The majority of the items on the said list matched those that the complainant had mentioned as damaged on the consignment receipt, proving the damage of multiple items while transporting them from Hyderabad to Noida.

The court further remarked that Agarwal Packers and Movers offered only Rs. 8,000 to Vishwanath Tiwari in complete and final payment, which was not in line with the value of the household items that were damaged.

The court also noted the Watsapp communication by the packers in which they clearly agreed that many household items were damaged during the transit from Hyderabad to Noida, indicating negligence and a deficiency in service despite the fact that Vishwanath Tiwari paid Rs 80,500 towards the safe and cautious transportation of his household belongings.

The court noted that Agarawal Packers and Movers failed to protect the complainant's household belongings booked for transportation with a substantial charge of Rs. 80,500 towards freight charges and insurance and committed a severe deficiency in service. Hence, the court ruled in favour of the complainant.

The court ordered Agarwal Packers and Movers to pay Rs. 3,00,000 for insurance coverage, Rs. 4,00,000 for compensation for damaged goods, less depreciation, and Rs. 5,000 for litigation costs within 45 days of receipt of this order, failing which an 8 percent interest would be charged on the compensation amount from the date of this order until realisation.