**Prominent Laundry Chain Ordered to Compensate Mumbai Woman for Damaged Saree**
A consumer disputes redressal commission has mandated a well-known laundry chain to pay Rs 24,800 to a woman from Mumbai after she lodged a complaint regarding damage to her saree. The ruling was made in the absence of the company, which did not attend the consumer forum hearing.
Sanchita Sontakke, a resident of Ghatkopar East, sought redress from the Mumbai Suburban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission through her attorney, Karan Gajra. She claimed that her saree was ruined during the dry cleaning process by Tumbledry Solutions Private Limited. Despite her efforts to resolve the matter through various communication channels, including chats, emails, and consumer grievance platforms, the service provider failed to adequately address her complaint.
The commission reviewed evidence presented by Sontakke, which included dry cleaning invoices, photographs of the damaged saree, purchase receipts, and records of her grievance communications. The forum concluded that there was evident negligence and a lack of service quality on the part of the laundry company.
The commission noted, “This business entity has an organized setup to manage its operations. Given this structure, there should be a systematic approach to handle such issues. Unfortunately, we did not observe any such mechanism from the opposing party. Instead, they remained unresponsive and chose to avoid addressing the complainant’s concerns. The opposing party was also absent during the proceedings, where they could have presented their case.”
As a result, the commission awarded Rs 12,800 for the depreciated value of the damaged saree, Rs 10,000 for mental distress and service deficiency, and Rs 2,000 for litigation costs, totaling Rs 24,800. Tumbledry Solutions and its Ghatkopar franchise were found jointly and severally liable for the payment and must comply with the order within 45 days. If they fail to do so, the awarded amount will accrue interest at a rate of 2 percent per annum until fully paid.
**FAQ**
**What should I do if my clothing is damaged by a laundry service?**
If your clothing is damaged by a laundry service, document the damage with photos and keep all receipts. Contact the service provider to report the issue and seek resolution. If they do not respond satisfactorily, you may consider filing a complaint with a consumer disputes redressal commission.
