Pune: The District Consumer Forum has ordered Mohali (Punjab)-based World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services Ltd (WWICS) to refund Rs 3 lakh and Indian currency amount equivalent of 5000 US dollars for not providing visa and job placement in Canada after accepting the fees.
Abraham Christy from Thergaon filed the complaint against the company in 2015. He had been in contact with the firm since 2004.
The company has a branch office in Pune, which collected Rs 8.63 lakh from him for providing visa services and placement. He opted for gold package for the said purpose.
As per the complaint, the firm agreed to provide the services to complete immigration procedure within two years. Christy paid the amount in installments.
The complainant was informed that the Canada government had stopped grant of visa. He had made payments till 2012. However, the firm could not procure the visa and placement for Canada and advised him to opt for SINP, another scheme to immigrate to Canada.
Having tried for so many years, the complainant moved the Consumer Forum and sought refund of his money with interest. WWICS filed a written statement in the case stating that it is a pre-mature complaint.
“The complainant opted for SINP scheme and that process is pending before the concerned authorities. He paid Rs 3.6 lakh as per the contract. As there were no vacancies, we could not provide the placement and visa.,” WWICS stated in its reply.
“As per our agreement, the professional fee paid by the consumer is non-refundable. Once job offer and nomination letter is accepted, nothing is refundable. If the application is rejected then, the amount can be refunded after deducting 25% of the total amount. We are not responsible for any delay, rejection of application and are not liable to refund the amount as well as to pay compensation. As the application is pending and the same is neither rejected nor allowed, this consumer complaint is not maintainable as it is pre-mature,” WWICS further stated in its reply.
A bench of the Consumer Forum President VP Utpat and Member Kshitija Kulkarni observed that the complainant had not produced any document to show his application (SINP) was rejected. The WWICS showed willingness to refund Rs 3 lakh and amount equivalent of 5000 US dollars to the complainant.
The forum ordered the firm to pay the amount with nine percent interest since August 2015, when the complaint was filed and Rs 10,000 towards
litigation cost.
