Esperanza Day Care Centre in Hyderabad ordered refund of Rs. 70,000 for neglecting child's care

HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Esperanza Day Care Centre in Gachibowli to refund Rs. 70,000 to parents in Hyderabad due to unfair trade practices, stemming from inadequate care for their 15-month-old daughter at the daycare facility.

Rakhi Garg (32) and Raghu Kumar Yerra (37) enrolled their daughter, Prisha Yerra, at Esperanza Day Care Centre on April 5, 2023, for a four-month period, paying a total of Rs. 73,000 in fees, including an admission fee of Rs. 13,000.

Issues arose when, on April 6, 2023, the parents noticed that the daycare had not properly attended to their daughter's runny nose, prompting them to express their concerns to the staff. Despite their instructions, the daycare continued to use unsanitary napkins for cleaning.

Furthermore, on April 10, 2023, the parents discovered that their daughter had been fed improperly, leading to her vomiting and feeling unwell for hours. Despite their complaints, the daycare staff disregarded their concerns, displaying a lack of regard for the child's well-being.

The parents requested to cancel the service and receive a refund, but branch owner Nikhila Reddy promised to confirm later. On April 25, 2023, they stated that a refund couldn't be issued. Additionally, chairman Chandrasekhar Vasireddy falsely asserted that the fee covered only April and May, contradicting the initial agreement specifying payment from April 5, 2023

The parents requested a refund for the remaining period of service, but the daycare refused, leading them to seek redressal from the commission. The court observed that the parents sought to withdraw their child from the daycare due to concerns about hygiene standards and distress caused by improper feeding practices.

Despite the daycare dismissing these issues as minor, the parents wished to withdraw their child's admission and seek a refund, deducting fees for three days of service. Despite being served notices, the daycare failed to appear before the commission, resulting in an ex parte judgment.

The commission found the daycare's actions to be both deficient in service and indicative of unfair trade practices. Therefore, it ordered Esperanza Day Care Centre to refund Rs. 70,000 to the parents within 45 days, along with Rs. 5,000 in litigation costs. Failure to comply would result in additional interest charges of 12 percent per annum.