PepsiCo India has been directed to pay ₹8,000 in compensation and litigation costs in a consumer case involving a Lay’s chips packet.
The complainant alleged that the packet contained only 4 grams of chips against the declared net weight of 15 grams.
The complaint against retailer Metro Cash & Carry was dismissed, while PepsiCo was directed to refund the packet’s price with interest.
PepsiCo Faces ₹8,000 Payout Over Lay’s Packet Weight Dispute
A Jaipur consumer commission directed the company to pay compensation and litigation costs after a consumer alleged that a Lay’s packet contained just 4 grams of chips against the declared 15 grams
Summary
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PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. has been directed to pay ₹8,000 in compensation and litigation costs in a consumer case involving an allegedly underweight Lay’s potato chips packet, according to Live Law.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II in Jaipur, Rajasthan, also ordered PepsiCo to refund the packet’s purchase price of ₹5, with 6% annual interest from April 6, 2022, the date the complaint was filed, until payment.
The complaint was filed by Chandraman Jalan, who said he purchased the packet from Metro Cash & Carry India Pvt. Ltd. on November 10, 2020.
Complaint Over Chip Packet Weight
Jalan alleged that the packet felt unusually light while he was serving chips to guests at his residence. After weighing its contents, he claimed that the packet contained only 4 grams of chips, despite the declared net weight of 15 grams.
He filed a consumer complaint in April 2022, alleging that the shortage amounted to a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice.
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Metro Cash & Carry argued that any shortage could have occurred during manufacturing and that responsibility lay with the manufacturer. PepsiCo did not appear before the commission despite receiving notice, and the proceedings against it continued in its absence.
PepsiCo Ordered To Pay Compensation
The commission allowed the complaint against PepsiCo and dismissed it against Metro Cash & Carry. It directed PepsiCo to pay ₹5,000 for mental harassment and ₹3,000 towards litigation expenses, in addition to refunding the packet’s price with interest.
The company was given one month from the date of the order to pay the compensation and litigation costs. If it failed to pay within that period, the ₹8,000 amount would carry interest at 6% per annum from the date of the order until payment.
The ruling concerns this specific consumer complaint and does not, by itself, establish that underweight packaging is a widespread issue across Lay’s products.
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