A consumer protection court has imposed a fine on a private bank after ruling in favour of a citizen who faced difficulties due to a faulty ATM in Karachi, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday.
The Consumer Protection Court ordered the bank to pay Rs 15,000 in compensation to the complainant for mental distress and loss of time caused by the incident.
According to the petitioner, the incident took place in 2019 when he attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM.
The machine allegedly failed to dispense the money and also retained his bank card, causing inconvenience and embarrassment.
During the proceedings, the court observed that although the withdrawn amount and service charges had already been refunded to the customer, the seizure of the card due to an ATM malfunction amounted to a deficiency in service.
The court also rejected objections raised by the private bank regarding jurisdiction, ruling that the consumer was entitled to compensation despite the refund already being made.
In its verdict, the court said the bank must compensate the petitioner for the mental agony and time wasted because of the incident.