"staff members allegedly refused his request and verbally abused him"
An Indian matrimonial site has been fined Rs. 60,000 (£550) for failing to find a potential match for a male user.
Vijaya Kumar filed a complaint, saying he came across Dilmil Matrimony and their “very honest matchmaking services” via social media ads and WhatsApp.
In March 2024, he gave the site documents and photos of his son Balaji, who was seeking a potential bride.
The company asked Vijaya to pay Rs. 30,000 (£275) and they would send him profiles of potential matches within 45 days.
When Dilmil Matrimony could not find a suitable bride, Vijaya visited the matrimonial site’s office in Bengaluru, Karnataka, requesting a refund.
It was reported that the “staff members allegedly refused his request and verbally abused him during his visit, using offensive language”.
Dilmil Matrimony CEO Ruksar Shabnam said company policy states that the service they provide is to share suitable profiles of eligible prospective brides and grooms, and not a guarantee of marriage, one that the client was aware of.
She said: “We offer a refund if one of two situations occur: if the service we have promised is not provided and if the client has found a better match from somewhere, both within 45 days of registration.
“Otherwise, we don’t offer any refunds. The form mentions all of this, which the client had signed.”
Explaining that the client liked one profile, Ruksar said:
“We had shared a few profiles with him, and he found one which he was stuck to.
“But the opposite family was not interested in their profile.
“So, clashes with him began from that moment. He was very harsh and very rude.
“I had told him personally that I would refund the money if he was left unsatisfied. Dilmil Matrimony has never refused to refund.”
Ruksar confirmed that Vijaya visited the site’s office on April 30, 2024, with police.
She said staff members could not have refused a refund since she was the only authorised to process any kind of refund request, and denied that anyone misbehaved.
On May 9, Vijaya Kumar issued a legal notice.
Following a hearing, a court order read:
“The complainant did not get a single profile to choose a suitable match for his son, and even when the complainant visited the office of OP (Dilmil), they could not satisfy him or return the amount to the complainant.
“The commission has no hesitation to hold that there is a clear deficiency rendered by the OP during the course of service to the complainant and that the OP has indulged in unfair trade practices, for which the OP is held liable to refund the amount along with other reliefs granted in the complaint.”
The court ordered a Rs. 30,000 refund along with six per cent interest, as well as Rs. 20,000 (£183) for services deficiency, and Rs 5,000 (£45) each for mental agony and litigation.
The court also noted: “In the absence of the opposition party and affidavit from their side, the allegations of the complainant are to be held as proved facts.”
Ruksar said she would send Vijaya the money as soon as she gets together some funds.
She added that according to the matrimonial site’s policy, a client must send a written request for a refund, and if accepted, the refund will be processed within 45 days.
Ruksana claimed she had received no written request for a refund.
Loading ...