Bengaluru: A consumer court in Bengaluru has ordered Allen Career Institute to pay a student Rs 1.4 lakh, including Rs 10,000 as compensation, for misleading him by enrolling him into a course he did not ask for.
A medical education aspirant filed a complaint at the Fourth Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Bengaluru on April 6, 2023.
The complainant said Allen assured him it would recommend the most appropriate course and provide adequate training to succeed in the entrance exam for medical education.
The aspirant enrolled in the "pre-medical nurture phase 2" course, as suggested by Allen, at its Indiranagar campus. He paid a tuition fee of Rs 1.25 lakh on September 4, 2022, and started his classes.
Soon, the aspirant learnt that the course he was attending was designed for class 10 pass outs. He had completed his class 12 exams and requested a course that suited his educational qualifications.
The course he was enrolled in started on June 2, 2022, three months before his admission. The institute received the tuition fee without disclosing the commencement of the course.
When the aspirant inquired about the date when the classes began, the institute informed him that the deadline for revising or even cancelling his enrolment had already passed, even before his official enrolment.
“Allen repeatedly assured me that it was the most appropriate course for me at the time of admission,” the aspirant claimed in his complaint.
“They failed and neglected to consider my request when asked for a refund,” he added.
Following this, the aspirant sent a legal notice to the institute and received an untenable reply. Aggrieved by this, he approached the court.
The complainant alleged that Allen Institute “cheated” and “misled” him by providing a different course he neither wanted nor opted for.
The court perused the documents submitted by the aspirant to corroborate his claims and observed, “The opponent party (Allen) has committed gross negligence by providing wrong service to the complainant in order to make unlawful gain. They have caused mental agony and financial loss to the complainant.”
Apart from compensation, the court directed Allen to pay an Rs 1.25 lakh refund to the aspirant at a 6% interest per annum from the date of the complaint to the date of the complete payment.
Along with the compensation amount, the commission ordered Allen to pay Rs 10,000 towards the cost of the proceedings and Rs 5,000 for his pain and suffering.
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