A weight loss treatment with claims of reducing 5 kg weight in just 20 minutes became a source of harassment for a Gurgaon woman. She did not lose any weight but her money and ended up fighting a court case for over two years.
The clinic was directed to refund the fee of Rs.73,000 to the woman and compensate her for the mental agony she went through only after a long drawn legal battle. The clinic’s claims of weight loss were held by the Gurgaon District Consumer Forum to be unfair trade practice.
The woman, weighing 94.2 kg, enrolled in a weight loss programme of a certain health clinic in Gurgaon in March 2012 after she came across their advertisement in a leading newspaper.
The woman visited the clinic where she was assured that the advance fat reduction procedure C-LIPO would yield good results. Upon much persuasion, she enrolled for six sittings of C-LIPO treatment for reducing the waistline by 25 cm.
She was also assured of 5 kg weight loss and given a complimentary package of another 5 kg weight loss and three months maintenance thereof.
The woman enrolled for a double chin removal for Rs.25,000 and for inch loss on the waistline and hips for Rs.48,000.
On the date of commencement of her treatment on March 2, 2012, the woman weighed 94.2 kg and after the entire treatment her weight reduced by a mere 400 gm to 93.8 kg. Besides, there was a reduction of only 1 to 1.5 inches at various body parts as against the claim of 4 to 5 inches on all body parts, she said in her complaint before the Gurgaon District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.
She also told the Forum that when she registered her dissatisfaction with the clinic, she was not only mentally harassed but was also humiliated on all her visits there. They even altered the dates and appointments without notice and the people who were assigned her case had no knowledge about operating the machines.
The woman said she has been cheated by way of misleading advertisements full of tall claims.
The District Forum headed by President R.S. Bahmani concluded that the clinic “allured the complainant by misleading advertisements regarding reducing weight… and the complainant hired their services for a sum of Rs.73,000 but no results were shown after their treatment.”
Holding them guilty of adopting unfair trade practice, the Forum held that the woman was entitled to refund of Rs.73,000.
Besides, she has also been awarded compensation of Rs.10,000 for mental agony.
