Mangalore: Studio fined for delay in service

DHNS

Mangalore, 05 May 2010: In a rare case, the Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a firm of professional photographers to pay Rs 11,000 as compensation to one of their clients on charges of deficiency in delivering their service on time.

According to a press release, a certain Stephen Rodrigues had hired Photographers from Vivek Digital Studio to cover the Engagement, Roce and Marriage ceremony of his daughter in December 2008. The firm delivered the video of Roce and engagement ceremonies, but failed to deliver the photo album of the marriage ceremony.

The studio claimed that the hard disk in which the photographs were stored got damaged and that attempts to retrieve the photos were in progress. Fed up by the delay in delivering the album, Stephen Rodrigues approached the consumer court seeking Rs 2,00,000 for deficiency in service and Rs 54,000 as compensation and cost of proceedings.

On inquiry, the court found that all the allegations were true and that the studio’s claim could not be justified as the photographer and the studio are duty bound for the safe keeping of the photos (through back up) until it was delivered to the client.

Hence, it asked the studio to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 1,000 as cost of proceedings besides delivering the photo album free of cost. However, the said album was produced at the court during court proceedings.