The district consumer disputes redressal forum presided by C K Chaturvedi noted that the airline had taken back the damaged bags from complainant Paramjeet Kaur Anand, a Delhi resident, in March 2009 with the promise to repair or replace them but there has been no response till now (2012) from the airline about the same and it amounts to harassment.
"It has come on evidence that the opposite party (Cathay Pacific) collected the bag on March 1, 2009 with the promise to repair or replace it by similar bag. Till filing of the complaint in 2010, and till now, the complaint has not heard from the airline about her bag or about her lost Nokia cellphone, as mentioned in 'damaged bagging report.'
"In our view, non-response for so long and not explaining the case in court is serious harassment to consumer. Keeping in view the long harassment, we direct the airline to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for damaged bag and articles stolen from it during transit," the bench said.
In her complaint, Anand had said that a Nokia mobile too was missing from one of her suitcases, which she had got transported through the airline's 'airways services' in February 2009.
Anand had said the locks of two of her suitcases, including the one from which the cellphone had gone missing was also found tampered with, when she went to collect her luggage at the airport.
Anand had informed the concerned officials at the airport about the condition of her bags, she had said adding that a complaint was also lodged regarding the damage to her luggage.
The airline was proceeded against ex-parte as it had not appeared before the forum to contest the complaint.
