Bengaluru IKEA lands in soup for Rs 20 paper bag

BENGALURU: A Bengaluru consumer court has asked Swedish furniture retailer IKEA to pay Rs 3000 to a complainant for charging Rs 20 for a paper bag that had the logo of the company imprinted on it. Sangeeta Borah filed a case in October 2022 after she felt agitated by the additional fee levied for the paper bag that was issued by the company.

Borah says she was not informed about the additional Rs 20 for the paper bag and she termed the practice as 'unfair'. When she asked for a carry bag after doing the purchasing, the staff at IKEA handed her a paper bag only for Rs 20. Borah argued citing the logo imprinted on the bag and had a verbal tirade with the staff. The Consumer Commission also deemed the practice unfair and said that the best way to end the dispute would be to allow compensation for the complainant.

Meanwhile, IKEA said that they would not entertain any hidden charges and denied reports of the company breaching the basic code of trade. The court also reprimanded the hideous practice of not allowing consumers to enter shops with carry bags and forcefully making them buy company-owned paper bags at a certain price. It is usual for customers to bring carry bags if they are in for a big purchase. Most companies now disallow bags inside and deftly make the best use of this to make people buy paper bags at small costs.

The Swedish company should thus comply with the court orders within 30 days.