Transfer woes

My grandson, Ritwik Shukla, was a student of Class IV at St Francis Xavier School, GA Block, Purbachal, Salt Lake, Calcutta-700097 during 2006-2007. He was promoted to Class V recently (the annual results were declared on April 5, 2007). The next session (2007-2008) started from April 18, 2007. As he had secured admission in a boarding school, we applied to the school on the morning of April 18, 2007 for a transfer certificate (TC).

The school rules till that date had not mentioned anything about the exact fee required to obtain a TC and the receiving clerk did not mention anything about it on that date. When we enquired about it around May 7, the concerned clerk told us that it had been decided by the school that “those who had applied on or after April 18 would have to pay the entire annual session charges plus the first quarter fee (for April to June 2007) to obtain the TC whereas those applying between April 1-17 need not pay anything”.

As we were in urgent need of the TC, we had to cough up a hefty sum — Rs 5,495, that is, an annual fee of Rs 2,790 plus a first quarter (April to June) fee of Rs 2,705 which includes a fine of Rs 100 to obtain the TC though we applied at the start of the session and my ward did not attend the school even for a day in the session for which fees were charged. What is my remedy now?

Ajit K. Chattopadhyay, Emeritus Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, Bengal Engineering and Science University,

Shibpur, Howrah-711103.

nschool’s response: Contrary to the accusation made in the complaint, St Francis Xavier School issues transfer certificates free of cost. The due dates for all fees extend from April 1, 2007 to April 15, 2007 for the first quarter (along with the annual fees) and this is well notified in the school diary and in the general notice for the session 2007-2008 handed over to all parents on April 5, 2007.

The complainant applied for a TC only after April 18, 2007 when the new academic session had already begun and hence it is imperative and completely logical that all school dues be cleared. Moreover, attendance in school has nothing to do with the fees and therefore it is pointless to say the ward has not attended the school for a single day. Because of the carelessness of the complainant who has not followed the fee rules properly, he has had to pay the first quarter fees and the session fees. Those parents who applied for a TC before April 18, 2007, did not have to pay the fees for the new academic year or any other charges, let alone the TC charges, which don’t exist.

Ajay Chopra,

Administrator and financial officer, St Francis Xavier School,

GA Block, Purbachal, Phase I,

Sector III, Salt Lake,

Calcutta-700097.

nthe expert: From the school authority’s response, it appears that “the due dates for all fees extend from April 1, 2007 to April 15, 2007 for the first quarter (along with the annual fees) and this is well notified in the school diary and in the general notice for the session 2007-2008 handed over to all parents on April 5, 2007”. Under the circumstances, the allegation in the complaint that the session 2007-2008 was to start from April 18, 2007, appears to be wrong. As per the settled principle of law reported in the 2005 Consumer Protection and Trade Journal (CTJ) 879, “if a student leaves the educational institute himself without completing the course, he cannot seek refund of the fees or other charges which he is supposed to pay to the institute and in such circumstances, it cannot be said that the institute is guilty of practising unfair trade practices”.

The heat is on

I purchased a storage water heater in the winter of 2002 and I still use the product. During the winter of 2003, the heater’s leaking container and gasket needed to be replaced. While the container was replaced under warranty, I had to pay for the other parts. In the winter of 2004, the same problem cropped up again. It recurred in December 2005. So in 2006, before winter set in, I was ready with a budget of around Rs 1,200 to make the product functional during winter. Once again, the heating element and the thermostat needed replacement. They were replaced on payment.

In January 2007, I took up the issue with Merloni Termosanitari India Ltd, Commercial Point, 79 Lenin Sarani, Calcutta-700013, the manufacturers of Racold water heaters but have received no response to date. What is my remedy now?

A. Bhattacharjee,

202 Matri Apartments,

255 N.S.C. Bose Road,

Calcutta-700047.

ncompany response: On behalf of Merloni Termosanitari (India) Ltd, we are very concerned about your experience as a buyer of Racold water heaters. Through your letter, we understand that it is only the quality and durability of the water heater that is the issue, not the after-sales service. We are also deeply concerned about the quality of spare parts, which were provided by our service technicians from time to time.

Unfortunately, you could not experience the quality we generally maintain and provide in our products as the number one specialists in water heating systems in the world.

As a company, we have decided to replace your old geyser with a new one, called Ariston, which we market internationally, to bring back the satisfaction and confidence which you have lost in our products.

Prosenjit Sanyal,

Regional Manager,

Merloni Termosanitari (India) Ltd.

nthe expert: The approach of the company is commendable. It shows that the company is eager to prove that its approach is consumer friendly.