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A Kerala consumer commission recently directed a matrimonial agency to pay Rs 37,000 to a customer for allegedly inducing him to buy a higher-priced package with promises of personalised matchmaking assistance that it failed to provide.

President S K Sreela and member Stanly Harold of the Kollam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission observed that the misleading inducement to purchase the higher plan, followed by the failure to provide the promised assistance, constituted unfair trade practice.

“An agency that offers personalised assistance must exercise care in describing what it can reasonably provide. It cannot exploit those expectations by making assurances to secure payment and thereafter treating its obligations as a mere formality,” the commission said on October 9.

According to the complaint, the agency initially shared profiles that did not match his preferences and continued circulating the same profiles despite his requests for alternatives. It allegedly stopped providing meaningful assistance later.

The agency and its managing director appeared before the commission but did not file their versions or contest the complainant’s evidence.

The commission observed that having persuaded the complainant to purchase a higher plan on assurances of active matchmaking and personalised assistance, the agency was required to make reasonable and bona fide efforts to provide those services.

It noted that matrimonial services involve considerable personal trust and consumers approach such agencies with expectations concerning an important decision in their lives, often involving their families. It further added that matrimonial agencies must clearly disclose the scope and limitations of their packages and provide the assistance they undertake to give.

“The complainant paid Rs 7,000 in reliance upon the assurances of personalised matrimonial assistance. The evidence establishes that the promised service was not meaningfully provided,” the order read.

Observing that the complainant was entitled to a refund, the commission directed the agency and its managing director to jointly and severally pay him Rs 7,000 as refund, Rs 20,000 as compensation for mental agony, harassment and inconvenience, and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.

The commission also directed the opposite parties to discontinue the unfair trade practice of inducing consumers to purchase enhanced matrimonial service packages through misleading assurances of personalised assistance that they fail to provide.

The order highlights that matrimonial agencies must clearly disclose the scope and limitations of their packages and deliver the personalised assistance promised to customers. Misleading consumers into purchasing higher-priced plans without providing the promised services amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states and Union territories (Kerala: 1800-425-1550) or call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 for assistance.

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