Coaching class refunds fees to dissatisfied student in Lok Adalat

Rajkot: A coaching class which has branches in multiple cities has been forced to refund fees to a student who was unsatisfied with the coaching service. The student's parents moved the consumer court and while proceedings were pending, the coaching institute settled the issue at a Lok Adalat held last week by agreeing to the refund.
Dipti Kothari moved the Rajkot consumer forum against the Rajkot branch of Aakash Education Services Ltd.She had decided to enrol her daughter, a Class 11 student, in it for its promised service to prepare students to crack medical and engineering entrance exams with learning modules crafted for every student's needs. Kothari paid the fees of Rs 73,638 in two parts by cheques in July and Sep 2022 but no receipts were issued.
The student complained to her parents about the promises being unfulfilled and imperfect service. Kothari approached the institute and asked for details about its teachers, their qualifications, workload, the study material, work schedule, exam schedule and the personal coaching of her daughter, her attentiveness, her attendance and the receipt for her payments, but got no reply from it.
The complainant then demanded the fee refund, alleging deficiency in service, through a letter on March 3, 2023, and served a legal notice on the institute in May 2023. According to the complainant, the respondent neither replied nor complied. Kothari then moved the consumer court demanding a refund with 12% interest.
The complainant's advocate, Gajendra Jani, said, "At the Lok Adalat organized last week, the institute agreed to amicably resolve the issue and paid a Rs 95,000 refund to my client. My client then filed the withdrawal pursis of the consumer complaint unconditionally. The consumer court, in its order, disposed of the application after accepting the compromise pursis."