Byju's told to refund Rs 10K to Bowenpally woman unhappy with its teaching methods

Hyderabad: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad, has asked the edu-tech company Byju's to refund Rs. 10,000 with an interest of 12% per annum to a Bowenpally woman who had enrolled her kids for an online course. Byju's has also been asked to pay Rs. 5,000 as compensation and Rs. 1,000 as the cost of litigation to the woman.

The complainant, Siddam Sridevi, paid Rs. 10,000 of the total Rs. 1 lakh fees for Byju's online course for her two children who are studying in classes 2 and 4. She agreed to pay the balance in monthly installments. However, she and her children were not satisfied with Byju's teaching method. Sridevi decided to discontinue the course and requested the employee concerned and the manager to refund the amount she had paid. But there was no response.

Sridevi made several requests over the phone and sent several messages requesting a refund, but Byju's executives were unruly, rude, and unprofessional to her, she alleged.

"The complainant suffered physically, mentally, and financially since she had paid her hard-earned money to the opposite party (Byju's). The opposite parties are intentionally avoiding her phone calls with a malicious intent to evade refunding the fee. There is a deficiency of service by the opposite parties. Hence the complaint," read the commission's order.

The commission sent notices to Byju's manager in Hyderabad and Bangalore but both failed to appear before it. Byju's did not come to contest the case before the consumer dispute redressal commission. Therefore, the commission found Byju's liable to compensate the complainant.

It has given Byju's 45 days to comply with the order.