Chronic Pain! Hyderabad Based Hospital To Pay 1.5L As Compensation For Negligence.

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Runjhun

Complaint Against Hyderabad Based Kamineni Hospital, To Pay 1.5L For Negligence

Medical negligence cases come in all hues and degrees of gravity. But the end result is always painful–not just mental but also physical.

Even when medical negligence is not actually killing people, it still lands unsuspecting individuals in severely tormenting situations for no real fault on their part. Either way, no amount of compensation actually ‘compensates’ the victims of medical negligence–it is just the best that can be done which is obviously never enough.

A consumer from Hyderabad, suffering from chronic lower back pain and numbness in left limb approached Kamineni Hospital at King Koti for treatment. A horrible mess up ensued after she was advised surgery. She underwent surgery in 2006 but the pain soon reappeared and her condition deteriorated despite continued treatment and repeated hospitalizations.

She was eventually advised to go for a permanent implantation and a spinal cord stimulator. The surgery. worth over 3.5 lakhs in terms of costs failed and the implants had to be removed. She was in no condition to undergo the surgery again. When the hospital refused to refund the cost of stimulator, she approached consumer forum.

The Hyderabad Consumer Forum concluded that deficiency in service by the hospital “deems to be proved” and ordered the hospital management to pay Rs 1.5 lakh compensation and Rs 5,000 towards litigation in September 2012.

We just wonder–even if she gets the compensation eventually, does it really make a difference to her condition. In the end, she is still left suffering with chronic pain and complications, probably for the rest of her life.

Is any compensation appropriate for a life long worth of trouble?

Hospital Asked To Pay 1.5L For Medical Negligence (Times of India)

New Delhi Consumer Forum Orders Biman Bangladesh To Pay 41K For A Lost TV.

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Runjhun

Complaint against Biman Bangladesh, To Pay 41K For Lost Baggage

There are times when we are mortified. There are times when we are stumped. There are times when we are just stoic. But there are very very rare times when we are downright amused (roll on the floor laughing types amused)!

Our first reaction when I came across this news piece–Bangladesh has an airlines!!!

I am not trying to be mean..really…but Bangladesh having an airline was a genuine surprise. But on second thoughts, Bangladesh has a cricket team with a performance record…erm…to reckon for. An airline, performance notwithstanding, seems a much more viable load.

Pulling ourselves within the realms of diplomatic dignity (and of course, we didn’t mean any harm or disrespect…but there are points we just can’t resist!)

Back to the original point, Biman Bangladesh has been ordered to pay 41K to a consumer in Delhi by the New Delhi Consumer Forum for losing his LCD TV in transit from Bangkok to Delhi. The airline refused to compensate the consumer despite being informed by him leading go this complaint. The forum held the airline liable for deficiency in services and ordered them to not only pay the entire cost of the lost LCD but also pay a compensation of 10K for harassment and litigation cost.

Biman Bangladesh Ordered To Compensate For Lost Lost Baggage (Business Line)

Education Alert! School And College To Refund Entire Fee And Pay Compensation In Two Separate Cases.

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Runjhun

complaint-against-school-college-to-refund-entire-fee

I have said this before and I say it again-it was indeed a sad day for me when I had to cover educational sphere in this space. Commerce and consumerism in educational sphere has always been an open secret but still, a blatant realization of this fact on a day to day basis is hardly pleasant.

So, it seems the season for refunds here–with consumer forum showering the grateful souls of perpetually harassed students (parents?!) with some much deserved relief.

We have stated this repeatedly that no educational institution can retain the tuition fee deposited in lump sum if the student withdraws midway and such deposit has to be refunded on demand. See Refusing To Refund Lump Sum Fee On Demand Is Illegal.

Reiterating this stance, a Tamil Nadu consumer forum in Chennai has ordered a private school to not only refund the fee deposited with the school in full and also a compensation of Rs.3000 for mental harassment. The school, upon withdrawal of the student had only refunded a part of the deposit and has refused to refund the entire amount. The forum, while granting the verdict cited the National Commission’s decision where it was held that even in case of voluntary withdrawal from school, the fee has to be refunded.

School Directed To Refund Fee (The Hindu)

On pretty much the same lines. a Kerala consumer forum in Ernakulum ordered a self financing engineering college to refund a fee of around Rs.3 Lakhs along with an interest of 12 % to a student who had left the college midway because he disliked the subject (automobile engineering). The forum cited a National Commission decision where it was held that in the absence of a bond or bank guarantee, to the effect that the balance fee for the whole course would be received by the college or institute if he or she left in the midstream, the action of the college authorities in retaining the fee could not be accepted.

College Directed To Refund Fee (The Hindu)

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish-Jetlite To Pay 14K For Not Refunding 4K, The Cost Of A Lost Ticket

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Runjhun

Complaint Against Jetlite, To Pay 14K For Not Refunding Ticket Cost

Just when we thought we were done with aviation woes for the week with our capsule, another one came tumbling out. The airline calls itself JetLite…which me thinks is pretty derogatory. I wonder how can someone or thing can prefer being the “lite” version of anything and that has nothing to do with my love for heavyweights in every field!

That was lame! I know. But it is 10′o clock at night, aviation troubles have way exceeded their utility or interest value, one tumbling out every nanosecond and Tadka’s ”spice it up” switches are operating on snooze.

I really hope that doesn’t make sense to anybody!

Back to the original reason of our existence in this world.

New Delhi District Consumer Forum has ordered Jetlite to pay for Sahara’s sins. For the ones suffering from a GK handicap, Jetlite was formerly Sahara Airlines.

The aggrieved consumer in question had lost his son’s ticket in transit when sent the ticket through snail mail to his son. On contacting the airline, they were asked to inform the police regarding the lost after which the ticket was to be blacklisted and refund process was to be started. However, despite fulfilling all these requirements, Jetlite did not refund the consumer’s money and instead chose to fight the case in the consumer court, dragging the matter for 8 years. The forum held them liable for deficiency in service as well as their refund policy of returning the money within 10 days in such cases. The airline was ordered to pay Rs. 14000 including the ticket cost (around Rs. 4000), compensation and litigation costs.

The stance taken by Jetlite in this case is downright stupid. If nothing more, they could have saved 10,000 bucks apart from saving a lot of time, litigation cost and ill-will of a very very harassed consumer. The case is almost like an instance of brands deriving sadistic pleasure at the expense of the consumers. And if it is not that, then probably the forum judged it right when they said that the airline was penny wise, pound foolish.

Jetlite To Pay 14K For Not Refunding Ticket Cost (Business Line)

Patient Alert! Consumer Forum Strikes Back In Medical Negligence Cases.

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Runjhun

Complaint Against Doctors, Hospitals-Consumer Forum Grants Compensation in Medical Negligence cases

We have always maintained that medical negligence cases are worst forms of consumer issues with human lives directly at stake and happens to be probably one rare area where our mortification surpasses our stoic sarcasm.

In three separate cases of medical negligence of varying degree, consumer forum has come down heavily upon the guilty parties.

District Consumer Forum in Ferozepur, in a landmark verdict, held the then Medical Officer, SMO and Director, Punjab State Health System Corporation jointly and severally guilty in a negligence case whereby they not only denied proper treatment to an injured patient but also discharged him against his will stating that the injury was not serious because the hospital beds were needed for ‘another eye camp’. The patient eventually died and the District Forum passed its verdict based on expert opinion, awarding a compensation of Rs. 4 lakh with a 9% interest rate till the amount is actually recovered.

District Forum Awards A Compensation of 4lakhs against Punjab Government Health Officials (Punjab News Express)

In another case, District Forum in Trichy awarded a compensation of 2lakhs against a city hospital called G.V.N hospital to a man whose wife dies due to what forum considered negligence and deficiency in service. The woman in question dies due to heavy bleeding post delivery as the hospital was not equipped to deal with such cases.

Consumer Forum Fines Trichy Hospital For Negligence (Times of India)

In a third incident, a dentist in New Delhi was held liable for negligence and a compensation of 1 Lakh was awarded against him by the District Forum for triggering medical complications as he operated on the patient without taking blood sugar into account. Contributory negligence on part of the patient was not considered a defence by the forum.

Dentist To Pay 1L For Negligence (IBNLive)

Flying Troubles! Nationality No Bar-From SpiceJet To British Airways To Air France, Consumers Irked By All!

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Runjhun

Complaints Against SpiceJet, Air France And British Airways, To Pay Hefty Compensation

A complaint against SpiceJet and another one against British Airways and another one against Air France hit the irony way too hard in our heads. So when it comes to harassing consumers, desi videsi are all equals, no discrimination, thank you very much!

We lubbb equality!

So our very own (own?) SpiceJet was ordered to pay Rs.25000 to a passenger by a Delhi consumer forum in New Delhi after they wrongly charged a consumer’s daughter Rs. 700 for carrying excess baggage on a flight from Pune to Delhi. The forum held that nowhere in the terms and conditions of the e-ticket was mentioned that extra charges will be payable on excess baggage and hence ordered the airlines to not only refund the amount but also pay compensation for mental agony and harassment.

25K for 700! That is why we urge our consumers to stand for their rights…it is actually worth it and more!

SpiceJet To Pay 25K To Passengers. (Deccan Herald)

Close on heels, British Airways decided to forego all stuff British (forgive the colonial hangover) and decided to trouble the consumers desi ishtyle. Result was a sharp rap on the knuckles by the consumer forum, once again adhering to the innate desipan of the situation. British Airways had offloaded a woman passenger at Vancouver Airport as they had failed to inform her that she needed a transit visa for London en route to Delhi. The woman was forced to extend her stay in Canada due to failure of airline and its agent to give her proper information. Both the airline and the travel agency were held directly liable and were ordered to pay Rs. 2 lakhs as harassment compensation including the litigation costs.

British Airways To Pay 2 Lakhs For Offloading A Passenger (Deccan Chronicle)

French courtesy went for a toss when Air France not only misplaced a 73 year old woman’s luggage but also returned it a week later in damaged condition. The New Delhi District Consumer Forum, while ordering Air France to pay a compensation of Rs. 60,000, not only took the misplacement and damage into account but also the fact of uncertainty and anxiety faced by the consumer during the entire week when the luggage was missing and even when it was found, the passenger’s husband had to travel to Delhi from Chandigarh to collect it.

Air France To Pay 60K For Luggage Damage (Business Line)