Hyderabad: The Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I has penalised Pizza Hut for offering deceptive deals and providing substandard service.
The ruling came after a customer complained that the outlet did not honour its promotional scheme and supplied incorrect items.
Customer finds offer doesn’t match the sale
On September 8, 2024, Bhavya Sreenayak of Adikmet visited the Pizza Hut outlet at Kachiguda.
A display board at the store advertised a ‘1+1 Personal Pizza starting at Rs 249’ offer that included two free Pepsi bottles for both walk-in and takeaway customers.
Trusting the promotion, Bhavya ordered a Chicken Pizza and a Tandoori Paneer Pizza, for which she paid Rs 295.95.
Missing freebies, wrong pizza, no bill
When she checked the parcel, Bhavya found that the promised free Pepsi bottles were missing. The outlet also failed to provide a bill, violating basic norms of sale.
Compounding the issue, the Tandoori Paneer Pizza she ordered was replaced with a Capsicum–Corn Pizza, without any intimation or consent.
Complaint filed over service lapses
Alleging unfair trade practices and service deficiencies, Bhavya approached the District Consumer Commission. After reviewing the evidence and submissions, the Commission concluded that the outlet had misled the customer and caused undue inconvenience.
Commission directs refund and compensation
After hearing the arguments from both parties, the Court ruled in favour of the complainant. In its order, the Commission instructed Pizza Hut to refund Rs 292.95 paid by the complainant, and pay Rs 1,000 as compensation for misleading advertisements and service lapses.
The Commission observed that such practices undermine consumer trust and emphasised adherence to transparent business practices.
