Bank asked to pay Rs 7,000 to consumer for deficient service

A consumer court here has asked Bank of India (BOI) to pay a complainant Rs 7,000, including compensation and legal expenses, for deficiency in services.
The complainant, advocate B R Ramchandani, informed the Thane District Consumer Redressel Forum that he had opted for BOI's 'STAR ePay' facility in 2006 and in the form, he had mentioned the facility should be extended for his MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam) bills.
However, between February 2007 and October 2008, the bank deducted Rs 12,090 from his account and made payment to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on his behalf.
When the complainant came across deductions towards bills of MSEDCL, which he had already paid himself, he approached the bank and informed it that the deductions should be for MTNL bills only and not for the MSEDCL bills.

However, between October-December 2010, the bank again deducted Rs 1,480 from his account and paid it to the MSEDCL.
He took up the issue with the bank, but to no avail and, hence, approached the forum for relief.

The respondent bank in its argument stated that in the form filled in 2006, the complainant had first written MSEDCL and struck it off and written MTNL on it, and also annexed the bills of the MSEDCL and the MTNL to the form for payment.
The bank argued that the complainant had attached both the bills, and hence the amount was paid by the bank.

Forum's presiding member Madhuri Vishwarupe and member N D Kadam, after hearing both the parties, concluded that the complainant had specifically instructed the bank not to deduct the MSEDCL bills, but the bank went ahead with it and this was deficiency in service, for which it should compensate the complainant.
The forum ordered the bank to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 towards legal expenses to the complainant by January 18, 2016.