Kongu Wedding Food Festival: Consumer forum directs ₹1 lakh compensation, refund of ticket to Tiruppur woman
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Tiruppur has directed the organisers of the Kongu Wedding Food Festival and Exhibition, held in Coimbatore last year, to pay ₹1 lakh in compensation to a woman from Tiruppur.
The Commission, comprising president S. Deepa, and members S. Baskar and A.S. Rathinasamy, also directed the organisers to refund the ticket amount of ₹2,484 and ₹3,000 as cost of litigation to the complainant, B. Dhanalakshmi, of Kuthuspuram in Tiruppur.
Tamil Nadu Caterers Association (TNCA), online ticketing platform BookMyShow, and TNCA founder Madhampatty R. Nagaraj have been directed by the Commission to pay a total sum ₹1,05,484 to the petitioner within two months, in its order on April 29.
The food festival was held at Codissia Grounds in Coimbatore on November 30 and December 1, 2024. Ms. Dhanalakshmi lodged a petition before the Commission, through her counsel Gowtham Subramaniam, on January 30, seeking a refund of ₹2,484.30, ₹3,000 as cost of litigation, and a compensation of ₹20 lakh for deficiency of service at the fest and the mental agony, pain, suffering, and hardship she underwent.
The complainant had submitted that she purchased tickets for the event via the online ticketing platform, advertisements of which featured that it would have more than 1,000 caterers, 3,000 chefs, and over 400 varieties of food.
She submitted that TNCA organised a grand ticket launch event before the food festival, involving social media influencers and renowned chefs. Influencers, including Manimegalai, and chefs Madhampatty Rangaraj and Madhampatty Iswarya were invited to promote the event via social media platforms.
The complainant submitted that she booked three tickets for the event for a sum of ₹2,484.30, influenced by the ticket launch and the promotional campaigns. Despite high expectations set by the promotions, the food festival did not live up to the advertised standards. The event was found to be poorly managed and overcrowded. There was a lack of proper guidance for attendees, making it difficult and time-consuming to enter the venue. Long queues were seen at every section, and food service was delayed. The plates provided were flimsy and of low quality, making them unsuitable for holding food, she submitted.
Additionally, there were no seating arrangements, forcing attendees to eat while standing, and no water facilities were available. Food counters were frequently empty and refilled slowly, resulting in long waiting time. Furthermore, the quantity of each food item was minimal, and many advertised varieties were not available, the complainant said.
She further submitted that due to poor management, confusion and disputes broke out among attendees, and children and elderly individuals were particularly affected. Sanitary arrangements were also inadequate, with only four bathrooms available for a crowd exceeding 5,000 people.
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