TURA:
The deputy commissioner (Supply) of West Garo Hills, Swapnil Tembe has issued guidelines to prevent unfair trade and protection of consumer’s interest with regard to levy of service charge in hotels and restaurants.
The DC had mentioned that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has been established under the provision of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 to regulate the matters relating to violation of rights of consumers, unfair trade practices and false or misleading advertisements and have issued these guidelines as empowered under section 18 (2) (1) of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 with regard to levy of service charge in hotels and restaurants.
The order mentioned that no hotel or restaurant shall add service charge automatically or by default in the bill and service charge should not be collected from consumers by any other name and should not force a customer to pay service charge. Moreover, service charge should not be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying GST on the total amount. And if any consumer finds that a hotel or restaurant is levying service charge in violation to the above mentioned guidelines a consumer may request the concerned hotel or restaurant to remove service charge from the bill amount or lodge a complaint on the National Consumer Helpline which works as an alternate dispute redressal mechanism at the pre-litigation level by calling 1915 or through the NCH mobile app or through edaakhil portal www.edaakhil.nic.in or can submit a complaint to the deputy commissioner of the concerned district or can send by e-mail to CCPA at [email protected].