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Unfinished work costs interior designer Rs 1.17L

The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed a Sector 21-based interior designer to pay around Rs 1.17 lakh to two city residents for not completing the work at their house within the deadline.

Dr Inderpal Singh Sidhu and his son Manpreet Sidhu accused Amar Partap Singh Sidhu, proprietor of WE Design Interior Contractors and Designers House, Sector 21, of not finishing the renovation work of one of their rooms in the house in four weeks despite taking money.

According to the agreement, the work was to be completed in 28 days and payment made in four installments. The first payment was made and work commenced on December 8, 2013. It was to be completed by January 8, 2014. However, even after making most of the payment in three installments, the work was incomplete.

The complainants alleged the designer harassed them for making the third installment and assured completion of work by January 15, 2014. "The designer then discontinued the work, disappeared and even stopped answering phone calls. Despite having received Rs 1.34 lakh out of the total of Rs1.73 lakh, the designer failed to complete the work," the complaint stated.

The counsel for the designer urged the complainants had not approached this forum with clean hands and were making contradictory statements. He said the case was beyond the purview of the consumer fora. He argued Sidhu illegally seized instruments and ousted the workers of the designer from the site. He even claimed Manpreet Sidhu during the renovation work went abroad and defaulted in making the payment.

The forum, however, questioned why the designer did not lodge any report with the police or sent any legal notice to the complainants.

The complainants also produced copy of comments uploaded on January 2 on a website by one Sunita Ghosh claiming that "We Design" was not competent and unprofessional.

Finding merit in the complaint, the forum directed Amar Partap Singh Sidhu to refund Rs 67,000 along with interest at the rate of 9% per annum from January 15, 2014, till actual realization, pay Rs 40,000 as compensation for deficiency in service, harassment and mental agony and Rs 10,000 as litigation expenses.

Article referred: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Unfinished-work-costs-interior-designer-Rs-1-17L/articleshow/47127670.cms

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