Consumer forum orders immigration firm to pay Ludhiana resident 1.8 lakh
The Chandigarh Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered a foreign studies consultancy to pay Rs 1.8 lakh to a girl from Ludhiana for not being admitted to a university in Scotland for higher education.
Complainant Pawandeep Kaur, through lawyer Dikshit Arora, claimed before the Commission that she was seeking to continue her studies abroad and sought the services of a study immigration company named Study World in Chandigarh.
The firm secured admission to Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland in the one-year business management course over a period of 4 months.
On October 2, 2019, the plaintiff received an offer letter and was asked to deposit Rs 10,000 to pursue the case and Rs 1,37,750 as a first semester fee. To pay the amount, Kaur’s parent borrowed a considerable sum at an interest rate of 6% per annum and deposited the tuition fees in a bank account provided by the company.
The company assured that the amount would be refunded if it was unable to confirm admission. However, the complainant learned that her name was not in the interview and when she asked for a refund, the request was denied by the company.
Study World failed to appear and was ordered to be sued against a void exparte order dated September 27, 2021. The Commission, after hearing the case, ordered the company to reimburse Rs 1,48,750 to the plaintiff with interest, to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation and Rs 7,000 as legal costs.
